Akwesasne Leaders Declare Control Over Waters Amid US Border Patrol Access

Grand Chief Leonard Lazore of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne declared that the First Nation is reclaiming authority over the St. Lawrence River waters bordering Canada and the United States after a temporary ministerial Firearms Act exemption allows armed U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to travel a 2.8-kilometre Canadian stretch to reach upstate New York. Lazore said the community will develop its own policing framework and will only request assistance from Canadian or U.S. authorities when necessary.

Public Safety Canada stated the order, which began on Oct. 1 and runs until Dec. 31, permits firearms-carrying officers to transit the water but does not empower them to enforce Canadian law, and it imposes a two-hour written notice and a safe-transit corridor defined by Canada. The exemption adds to about 70 similar cross-border orders, though officials declined to list their locations. Residents have long complained that U.S. Coast Guard and border agents use the water at night without permission, a claim both agencies deny.

A boat protest on the day the order took effect was organized by local chiefs to back the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, which they say should be trusted to protect the waters. Lazore criticized Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree for yielding to U.S. demands and warned the situation could set a precedent for other Canadian communities.