Border officials record spike in asylum claims at Quebec border crossing

CTV News

6 days ago

As Canada's border agency says it is ready to handle an influx of asylum seekers after recording a recent surge of claims at a Quebec border crossing, an advocate is calling for a more humanitarian approach.
The Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry has recorded a spike in asylum claims so far this year, according to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) data. As of July 27, there have been 10,724 asylum applications received. Compared to the same time in 2024, there were 5,077 applications.
The months that saw the biggest increases in 2025 were in April (2,733) and July (3,089). Compared to 2024, those figures were 670 and 818, respectively.
However, the overall number of asylum claims in all of Quebec so far this year is in fact lower compared to 2024. By July 27 of last year, there were 22,337 asylum applications, compared to 14,874 by the same period this year.
Asylum claims in Canada are also lower. The CBSA says it has received 22,237 asylum applications as of July 27, which represents a 46 per cent decrease from last year (41,187). The numbers include all asylum applications, including those that were deemed ineligible.
Lacolle
A sign warns against crossing the border into Canada at Roxham Road in St. Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
Frantz Andre, a spokesperson for the Action Committee for People Without Status, says that, given the political climate in the United States, he's not surprised about the influx of migrants.
'People are taking risks, you know, to enter illegally,' he said.
Andre says there needs to be a better system in place to help the migrants. He adds the first step would be to remove the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which allows Canada to turn away asylum seekers who enter Canada from the U.S. Under the agreement, people must make their refugee claim in the first country in which they arrive.
While there are exceptions, Andre says because of the rule many are forced to take potentially dangerous routes.
'Third Safe Country ... is creating a loophole where people actually are more exposed than before,' he said.
The agency's data shows that American citizens represent the third-highest group of people who request asylum at the border.
Land Border Asylum Claims (Top 10 by nationality) as of July 27, 2025
Ranking Nationality 1. Haiti 2. Venezuela 3. U.S.A. 4. Colombia 5. Pakistan 6. Chile 7. Romania 8. Mexico 9. Afghanistan 10. Nicaragua
CBSA told CTV News that it has set up 12 trailers near the Lacolle border on June 19 — eight are waiting stations and four are for sanitary purposes.
The agency says the current migrant influx is 'well below our processing capacity' and the trailers are currently unused.
Trailers near Lacolle border
Trailers set up by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) near the Lacolle border crossing in Quebec on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (Jean-François Forget/CTV News)
'Some people have not got out because ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is actually picking up people in the streets at work and so on,' Andre added.
Depending on the demand, the CBSA says it is ready to deploy additional officers on the ground and lease more space for processing cases.
In an email on Wednesday, the RCMP told CTV News that in recent weeks, 'we have observed a notable increase in illegal entries, particularly in the area covered by our Valleyfield Detachment. We remind the public that crossing the border outside of official ports of entry is not only illegal, but also dangerous.'
The Mounties say they are closely monitoring the situation and adjusting resources on the ground accordingly.
The CBSA deemed 2,462 people ineligible for asylum under the STCA last year. So for 2025, that number has reached 1,753.
Last fiscal year, the border agency removed more than 18,000 inadmissible people — the most in a decade.