Haitian community, opposition criticize Quebec immigration minister’s comments about migrants

Quebec’s immigration minister has come under fire over his comments about migrants at the Canadian border.

In an interview with Radio-Canada on Tuesday, Jean-François Roberge was asked about the rise in asylum seekers showing up at a major border crossing south of Montreal amid fears of a sweeping crackdown on immigration by the Donald Trump administration.

An anchor asked Roberge about the fate of asylum seekers if they are turned back to the U.S.

“In Canada … we have 40 million people. We can’t take in all the world’s suffering. The fact is there are human dramas in the U.S., there are some in Ukraine, there is one at the moment in Palestine, in several places,” Roberge said in the interview, adding that the humanitarian crises don’t increase the country’s capacity to welcome more people.

“We can’t take on our shoulders all the world’s suffering. We have to do our part. Quebec and Canada always have done their part. Canada remains a welcoming country, but our capacity is not infinite.”

Frantz André, spokesman for a Montreal-based group that helps undocumented migrants with asylum cases, told The Canadian Press that many of the claimants at Quebec border crossings are Haitians fleeing the U.S. before their status us removed, sparking indignation among the Haitian community.

Chef Paul Toussaint, who was born in Haiti and has lived in Quebec for the past 18 years, is the chef and owner of Kamúy, a restaurant in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. He said the remarks were difficult to hear as a member of the Haitian community who has contributed to Quebec in many ways.

“I invested $1 million here in Quebec, and when I [hear] those words, it’s hard,” he told CTV News. “It’s easy to attack the Haitian people but like Dany Laferrière said … we help them a lot, we support Quebec a lot, we are part of the economy.”

Rise in asylum seekers at Quebec-U.S. border

According to the Canada Border Services Agency, the number of asylum seekers at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing has increased since the start of the year, with a high of 1,356 applications last month and nearly 600 as of Saturday for April.

However, the number of claims so far in 2025 is, in fact, lower compared to the same period last year. Border agents have processed 5,246 asylum applications as of April 6, which is a decrease of 53 per cent compared to this time last year.

During the U.S. election campaign, Trump vowed to deport millions of undocumented people. Since the election, he announced the Temporary Protected Status for 500,000 Haitians and 600,000 Venezuelans will expire in August, though a federal judge has put that on hold.

Marjorie Villefranche, the executive director for the Maison d’Haïti, which helps integrate immigrants, says Roberge should at least consult community groups.

“We receive them every morning and we are trying to help them. So why didn’t he come to us and say, ‘What can we do together?‘” she said in an interview.

Asked about his comments Wednesday in Quebec City, Roberge said he stood by what he said.

“No, I don’t regret my words because our capacity is done,” he told reporters.

“We can’t take more, and more, and more even if they’re Haitian. We have a lot of Haitians living in Quebec. I think it’s a good fit. They have some family here, they are welcome here but we can’t increase our capacity because Donald Trump is taking some decisions. Those decisions don’t create some houses, it doesn’t create some teachers, it doesn’t create some classes, it doesn’t create some nurses. So our capacity is not extendable.”

Opposition parties say the CAQ minister chose poor words.

“I’m really disappointed and concerned [about] the words that were used by Minister Roberge and also by the ways [Premier] Legault talked about those migrants as well,” said Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, Québec solidaire’s critic for immigration.

“Let me recall that those are mainly kids and women fleeing war and persecution and they’re asking for empathy and compassion and this is how the [premier] speaks about them. I definitely agree that we can’t be receiving all the asylum seekers that are entering Canada. We need to have a voluntary system that allows for an equal share within all provinces of those asylum seekers. I’m agreeing with the premier on those grounds, but I’m not agreeing with the ways that he’s speaking about them and how Minister Roberge is speaking about them as well.”

The Parti Québécois also criticized Roberge’s word choice, but agreed with the sentiment.

“Quebec will not be able to maintain those services that are attractive if you have unlimited people crossing the border,” said PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.