Local news outlets say that Mountain Mart was a stop for people who had crossed the Canadian border illegally.

Taxi In The Dark.Photo byLukas ZischkeonUnsplash

Taxis, rideshares, and private drivers make money on the five-hour trip from this area, which is 30 miles from the border, to New York City, which is more than 300 miles away. FOX 5 NY also revealed that the flag's roots are in New York City.

Mountain Mart is located in Clinton County, in New York's northeastern corner. Reporter Stephanie Bertini and photojournalist Lenny Torres recently visited to investigate the reasons and main players behind the rise in illegal crossings at the US-Canada border, as well as how migrants end their long journeys in New York City.

Only One Cab Driver Agreed To Share Information

One cab driver agreed to talk about the circumstances as long as he remained unknown.

He said each person pays him $130 to $150. A lot of the time, people cross the line with others.

There is a gas station in Plattsburgh called Mountain Mart. Charter buses, such as Trailways, stop there on their way to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Nearby, dirty shoes that had been thrown away after the 30-mile walk were seen.

Looking For A Better Life

A lady and her children talked to Bertini before getting on a Trailways bus going to New York City. In Spanish, she said she was looking for a better life and had come from Venezuela.

Major Nicholas Leon, a chief officer with the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, stated that he wasn't surprised to see an NYC taxi parked close to the bus stop.

Illegally Crossing The Border

There are no walls, fences, or other big hurdles that separate what is Canadian and what is American in this 1,000-square-mile area. The tall bushes and trees provide easy hiding places for anyone wishing to cross the border illegally, enabling them to do so without detection. Thomas Trombley, the town clerk of Champlain, which is only two miles from the border, calls it "a backdoor" to the United States.

Many refugees, according to officials, fly to major cities like Montreal, where smugglers pick them up and transport them to the border. From there, they walk across rough territory and into Clinton County, where people say they see them almost every day.