U.S. immigration crackdown prompting more people to seek asylum at Quebec border crossing

As U.S. immigration policies tighten under President Donald Trump, some community organizations in Montreal say they’re seeing a rise in asylum seekers.

At Entre mamans et papas, a family support centre in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, there’s a growing demand for services like food, baby supplies, and basic needs.

Executive director Colette Casavant said the centre has seen a clear pattern in recent years.

“For several years, the vast majority of people coming through our doors have been asylum seekers,” she said. “And most of them are Haitian.”

That number could grow with the upcoming end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S.

“They’re coming because they’re scared,” Casavant said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government began sending letters to TPS holders instructing them to leave by April 24 if they hadn’t secured legal status.

Rising asylum claims in Quebec in recent months

Data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) shows 1,356 asylum seekers arrived at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry in March — up from 822 the same month last year. So far this month (as of April 13), the number of arrivals reached reached 1,411 — over four times the number recorded (319) for the same 13-day period in April 2024.

However, the number of asylum claims across Canada are down overall by 53 per cent so far this year, according to the CBSA.

There were 9,976 asylum applications in Canada as of April 13, 2025. By comparison, this time last year the agency had processed 21,257 asylum applications in Canada.

Looking at Quebec, for the current year, Quebec has processed 6,324 asylum applications as of April 6. Compared with 2024, the CBSA processed 11,917 asylum applications in the province, representing a decrease of 47 per cent.

Meanwhile, Casavant said organizations in Montreal are struggling to keep up.

“We’re already stretched thin. We don’t know how we’ll manage more,” she said.

Sophie Mulanga know exactly what many asylum seekers are going through. She arrived in Quebec from the Democratic Republic of the Congo during Trump’s first administration, crossing at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry because she no longer felt safe in the U.S.

She said asylum seekers are often just looking for a safe place to rebuild.

“You come with nothing,” she said. “You just hope for a safe place to call home.”