Canadian authorities brace for influx of asylum-seekers following Trump’s victory
Canadian officials are preparing for a potential surge in asylum-seekers at the United States-Canada border as the newly re-elected President of the US, Donald Trump, vows to enact sweeping immigration crackdowns.
Trump, the former and now future US president, won this week’s election with a platform that includes enacting the largest deportation effort in American history, raising concerns among Canadian authorities about a new wave of border crossings.
According to Reuters on Thursday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and migrant aid organisations are anticipating a repeat of 2017, when thousands of migrants fled to Canada to escape Trump’s restrictive immigration policies.
At the time, Roxham Road in Quebec became a hotspot for asylum-seekers crossing into Canada outside official checkpoints.
However, changes to border agreements have since closed off that route, raising concerns about where future crossings might occur.
“We knew a few months ago that we had to start preparing a contingency plan because if he comes into power, which now he will in a few months, it could drive illegal migration and irregular migration into Quebec and Canada,” Poirier told Reuters.
“The worst-case scenario would be people crossing in large numbers everywhere on the territory.
“Let’s say we had 100 people per day entering across the border, then it’s going to be hard because our officers will basically have to cover huge distances in order to arrest everyone,” he said.
