About twenty migrants enter Canada, the Conservatives outraged

Around 20 migrants fleeing the United States have crossed the Canadian border in the province of Manitoba clandestinely during the weekend to seek asylum in Canada, a local official said on Sunday.

At least 22 people, mostly African, crossed the border on foot in the night from Saturday to Sunday, said Greg Janzen, head of the municipality of Emerson, who was telephoned by AFP.

Several dozen asylum seekers crossed the Canadian border near Emerson – 120 km south of Winnipeg – since President Donald Trump came to power and signed an order to temporarily prohibit entry In the United States of nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries and of all refugees.

Under a Canada-US agreement, asylum-seekers from the United States are generally turned back at Canada’s border crossings. But this does not apply to those illegally crossing the border at other points.

The 22 migrants were taken care of by police and immigration officials to make their asylum claims in Canada, Janzen said.

He said eight more asylum seekers had arrived on Friday, pointing to more arrivals on the weekend. Migrants who crossed the border in early February had to face difficult conditions with polar temperatures: two of them had their hands frozen and had to be amputated several fingers. But the temperatures were much milder this weekend.

Migrant arrivals, mostly irregular in the United States, are rising sharply in Manitoba. 99 people have crossed the border since the beginning of the year to seek asylum, according to local authorities. The trend is worrying for municipal officials in Emerson who have called on federal and provincial authorities to increase resources locally to address the situation.

Excessive Conservatives

Two Conservative MPs urge the federal government to prevent clandestine crossings of asylum seekers at the Canada-US border.

Michelle Rempel and Tony Clement claim that these illegal passages are dangerous and place a heavy burden on local police officers.

“The government must respond to the situation so as to ensure the safety of Canadians and send a strong message to those who plan to cross the border illegally that there are appropriate channels to do so,” said the Conservative spokesperson In a series of micromessages on Twitter.

Mr. Clement, who is also the party’s spokesperson on public safety, supported him by conveying this message: “Illegal crossings are dangerous and represent a burden on local authorities. Our laws must be applied. ”

Rempel’s micromessages were published after the RCMP in Manitoba announced that she had intercepted 22 other asylum seekers near Emerson on Saturday night.

The police indicated that a growing number of people are attempting to cross the Canadian border on foot in order to be able to claim refugee status. Several dozen arrests have taken place in Emerson in recent weeks.

Quebec saw an increase in the refugee claim by individuals who entered the province illegally.

These immigrants attempt to bypass the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement, which prohibits asylum seekers living in the United States from claiming refugee status at a border crossing. The assumption of the agreement is that by arriving first in the United States – or in Canada – they are already safe.

According to a lawyer specializing in immigration law, Eric Taillefer, the simplest way to prevent these illegal passages is to cancel the Agreement and allow anyone arriving at a border post to claim refugee status.

“They do not cross in the middle of winter at -30 for fun. They do this because they have no choice, “said one who is also vice-president of the Association québécoise des avocats en droit de l’immigration.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said the federal government was not considering withdrawing from the deal.

“The Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement is an important instrument for Canada and the United States to work together on the orderly processing of refugee claims in both countries,” wrote Camielle Edwards in an email.

She added that the government and the RCMP are working together to respond to the increase in asylum claims, which remain “below past fluctuations”.

According to Taillefer, the Conservatives have only themselves to blame. He suggested that the stricter rules adopted by the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper may have contributed to the current situation by complicating the lives of refugees who want to enter the country legally.

“It is a bit of their fault if one is caught in this straitjacket because the new system of asylum applications that begins to have difficulties, it is they who put it in place in 2012 “Before that, we did not have that kind of problem.”