Groups working with newcomers are preparing for a possible increase in people crossing Canada’s border due to President Donald Trump’s pledge to begin deporting illegal immigrants as soon as he takes office in January. .
Jennifer Ellich, an associate professor of sociology at McGill University who studies immigration policy, says the mere threat of mass deportation leads to an increase in both asylum claims at official ports of entry and attempts to secretly enter Canada. He said it was possible.
Overall, Mr. Trump’s second term as president could have a “significant impact on Canada’s border,” Eric said.
In the months after President Trump took office in 2017, immigration numbers surged.
Starting in the summer of that year, thousands of people entered Canada, primarily on Wroxham Road near Hemingford, Que.
more dangerous journey
Now, it’s even more difficult to cross. Wroxham Road was closed after Canada and the United States changed their Safe Third Country Agreement last year, expanding its terms to cover the entire land border rather than just formal border crossings.
This expansion brought an end to Loxham Road as an end run through the system. In the months since then, RCMP interceptions have dropped significantly and asylum claims at airports and borders have increased.
Melissa Crais, who works with the Montreal-based Welcome Collective, said her group is ready if Quebec becomes a destination for people fleeing the United States.
She also fears the closure of Wroxham Road will lead to more people attempting the dangerous crossing through the woodland.
“The likelihood of encountering people in remote areas in the dead of winter is very high, and we’ve already seen people die in those conditions,” said Crais, the group’s communications coordinator.
RCMP on alert
The cavalry has been preparing for months for that possibility if President Trump wins, said RCMP Sergeant John Johnson. Charles Poirier is based in Montreal.
“We’re preparing for different types of scenarios, whether it’s a small number of individuals or a large influx,” Poirier said in an interview.
Authorities have recently seen an increase in illegal border crossings heading south from Canada into the United States, and Poirier said RCMP is concerned about the possibility of more people traveling in the opposite direction.
“If people start crossing all over the territory, like southbound, it’s going to become even more difficult,” he says.
“It would change the whole situation because these people would still have to be taken to a central facility. But our officers, we would run across the territory to get them. .”
The Canada Border Services Agency declined an interview request, but said in a statement: “We operate in an operating environment that changes on a daily basis, and we stand ready to respond and adapt as necessary.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to a question Wednesday about President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations from the United States and whether Canada should expect a surge in immigration.
aftermath of the election
The prospect of more immigration quickly became a hot topic in Quebec this week. Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has warned that millions of people could consider moving north following Trump’s election.
Prime Minister François Legault then asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “make sure we protect our borders.”
Abdullah Daoud, director of a refugee center in downtown Montreal, said he doesn’t expect a huge influx of refugees overnight.
“No matter what President Trump enacts, we probably won’t see any remnants of it for another year,” he said. Currently, he said, the majority of people who visit his center apply for asylum after arriving at the airport.
The biggest hurdle they face is the long wait time to obtain a work permit, he said.
Eric said if more people cross the border without applying for asylum, there could be more illegal immigrants who don’t report them to authorities.
He noted that while there is no exact count of how many illegal immigrants live in Canada, researchers estimate that as many as 500,000 people are ineligible.
Eric said that regardless of whether President Trump follows through with his promised deportations, there will need to be a larger conversation about “how to manage this form of immigration that has historically gone unnoticed.” He said it would be.
The US presidential election was decisive, but even here in Quebec, reactions to President Trump’s victory are divided.
