There is a significant spike in the number of asylum-seekers crossing the border from the U.S. into Canada, according to figures released on Thursday.
More than 3000 people were intercepted by the RCMP walking across the U.S. Border border into Canada in July to seek asylum, a 284% increase compared to June, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
A couple seen crossing US-Canada border from Champlain, New York to Saint Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec. Credit: AP/Charles Krupa
The bulk of these claimants who are Haitians fleeing the US fearing President Trump’s tough stance on immigration went to Quebec, a French-speaking province. The influx of asylum-seekers has sparked fears opposition from anti-immigration advocates and opposition politicians where 96% of refugee claimants have been sent.
The mass exodus of Haitian immigrants coming through the southern border is a response to the Trump Administration’s suggestion to end a special program called “Temporary Protected Status” granted to Haitians following the massive 2010 earthquake that devastated the poor country, killed and left many homeless.
Canadian Consulates in the U.S. have been urged to set the record straight about Canada’s immigration policies as the influx of asylum-seekers continues unabated, many of whom are crossing into the country illegally.
A Police informs asylum-seekers about to cross the U.S. border that they will be arrested once they enter Canada at Saint Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, August 2017. Credit: AP/Charles Krupa
With 7,500 of the 21,695 refugee claimants crossing the U.S.-Canada border, the country is on track this year to have the most refugee claims in a decade.
Immigration advocates say those coming across the border are fearful of being returned back to Haiti, to an uncertain future as early as next January.
Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau has said that asylum-seekers to be considered refugees must prove there is a risk awaiting them in their home countries if they are to be returned.
Many asylum-seekers coming to Canada via the U.S. are from Turkey, India, Mexico and Columbia, according to a report from Immigration Canada.
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