Quebec has taken a lion’s share of asylum seekers intercepted crossing the U.S- Canada border in the first six months of this year: 77 per cent of people who illegally crossed the border from the U.S. into Canada did so in that province.
It’s believed up to 70 per cent of the people crossing from the U.S. into Quebec are Haitians who may be fleeing in fear they'll be deported from the country, when the extension of protected status given by U.S. President Donald Trump comes to an end in January. Up to 60,000 Haitians could be forced out of the U.S. if the program is not extended into 2018.
With the increased pressure at the border, and the potential costs for sheltering the asylum seekers making the issue one of national attention, CTVNews.ca looks at the scale of the influx in asylum requests in Quebec, and across Canada.
Asylum seekers in Quebec
Quebec is no stranger to a steady flow of applications for asylum. From January to June this year, 6,500 asylum seekers have arrived in Quebec – 35 per cent of the total asylum seekers that have arrived in Canada this year.
Over the past two weeks, there has been an influx of applications. From July 1-19, approximately 50 applications a day had been made. This number has jumped drastically to 150 a day, according to Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil in a press conference on Thursday.
The jump in numbers has put additional stress on the border, as all asylum claimants have to undergo security and health screenings.
Asylum claims in Canada
Asylum claims in Canada can be made in Canada at a port of entry, at any Canada Border Services Agency office, or any Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada office. These claims are tracked by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and updated monthly.
Claims made through Border Services are on track to reach an all-time high, with 9,040 made through CBSA Land, Air and Marine port of entry and Inland Offices so far in 2017.
The data shows that Ontario has seen the highest numbers of claimants every month this year, with the exception of March, where Quebec saw 850 claims – a full 140 above the 710 Ontario saw that month.
Numbers from IRCC are on a similar track, with 9,270 claims made between January and Jun of 2017.
Once again, Ontario saw significantly higher application numbers than other provinces, with a peak of 960 in June. The numbers show a steady rise in the number of claims coming into Quebec however, foreshadowing the recent influx the province is currently experiencing.
Between the two agencies, Canada has seen a total of 18,310 asylum applications between January and June of this year. This number is already higher than the total yearly figures from 2013-2015, and is coming close to the 2016 total of 23,895.
Illegal border crossings in Canada
Quebec has also seen a significant increase in illegal border crossings from June to July, according to government reports. The RCMP said they intercepted 781 people crossing into Quebec in June, compared to 576 the previous month – a trend that saw a corresponding decrease in the number of illegal crossings into Manitoba.
RCMP interceptions refer to asylum seekers that are apprehended between ports of entry, and these numbers may be included in either CBSA or IRCC processing numbers, as asylum seekers are turned over to these agencies if a refugee status claim is made.
