HOUGHTON - Sightings of border patrol units in the area are nothing to be concerned about, according to a federal official.

Kurstan Rosberg, supervisory border patrol agent for the Detroit Border Patrol Sector, said the increased presence of border patrol units is part of a routine annual outreach to the sector's outlying areas.

"We're responsible for a large area, and we don't get to some of the more remote areas as often as we'd like," Rosberg said. "Once a year, we send our agents out to areas they don't have contact with on a daily basis."

The units in the local area are agents from the U.S. Border Patrol office in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. They have been making their way across the Upper Peninsula, Rosberg said, stopping in Munising and Marquette.

During their stay in the western U.P., agents are meeting with different law enforcement agencies and organizations to find out whether there are border crossing concerns.

"We always want to know how we can best use our combined resources, especially in areas that are more remote," Rosberg said.

Due to national security issues, Rosberg could not divulge how many units are patrolling the area or how long they are expected to stay.

Rosberg is based at the Detroit Border Patrol Sector at Selfridge Air National Guard Base near downstate St. Clair Shores, which has jurisdiction over Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.

"People may see some of our vehicles in the area, but there is no threat and nothing out of the ordinary going on," Rosberg said. "It's a regular routine check-up, a way for our operation to stay up to date."

Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com