Dozens of asylum seekers intercepted crossing into Quebec from U.S. in back of truck
Forty-four asylum seekers and three alleged smugglers attempting to enter Canada from the U.S. were intercepted in Stanstead, Que., by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) overnight Sunday.
With the help of provincial police, the RCMP arrested the asylum seekers, who were travelling in a truck, near Haskell Road. Some of them included children. RCMP brought the asylum seekers to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office in Stanstead, according to Miguel Bégin, CBSA east border district director.
The arrests come as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to cite illegal crossings and fentanyl trafficking at the Canada-U.S. border as one of the main reasons for his administration levying higher tariffs against the country.
Canada is carrying out a $1.3 billion plan to improve border control, which includes hiring thousands of law enforcement officers and increasing aerial surveillance.
Bégin said most of the migrants were transferred to the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle regional processing centre, where they are being screened for their eligibility for asylum in Canada.
"It is highly likely that several migrants will be returned to the United States in the coming hours," Bégin told Radio-Canada on Monday morning. "Some were already returned yesterday because they did not meet the Safe Third Country Agreement exemption criteria."
The treaty is premised on the notion that the United States is a safe country to receive refugees Canada turns away. It prevents people from claiming asylum in Canada if they are entering at an official land border crossing with the United States.
He did not specify the migrants' country of origin.
The alleged smugglers have been charged with counselling offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for allegedly inducing, aiding or abetting the entry of individuals into Canada through an entry point other than a designated customs office — in violation of the Customs Act. They appeared in court by video conference Sunday and are being detained in a provincial prison.
The accused are expected back in court on Aug. 6, Bégin said.
WATCH | Asylum claims increase at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., crossing:
Refugee claims rise at Lacolle, Que., border despite overall drop in asylum seekers entering Canada
5 days ago
Frantz André, spokesperson and co-ordinator of the Comité d'action des personnes sans statut, said he is worried about the Trump administration's mass deportation of migrants and called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement.
"People are very scared of what's happening south of the border," André said, noting that this is "probably not going to be the last time" large groups of people will attempt to cross the border.
While André acknowledged that Canada will most likely continue to participate in the Safe Third Country Agreement, he suggests that the federal government put in place a special program for people from countries, such as Haiti, who are seeking safety, similar to settlement support Canada provided Ukrainians.
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