Number of people crossing into Canada through Roxham road has dwindled, RCMP says.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are taking down their facilities on Quebec's Roxham Road, an unofficial border crossing that served as a pathway into the country for countless asylum seekers.
In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden announced that they were closing a long-standing loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). The agreement calls for asylum seekers to apply for refugee status in the first of two countries they enter. Prior to March, the deal only applied to official ports of entry.
According to numbers released by the RCMP on Monday, its officers have intercepted 113,000 people on Roxham Road since 2017.
"Following the modification to the Safe Third Country Agreement, the number of migrants that cross through Roxham Road has dwindled and our presence here is no longer necessary," said Sgt. Charles Poirier.
Poirier said the removal of the facilities on Roxham Road means the RCMP will no longer have a constant physical presence on Roxham Road. They will instead rely on regular patrols and camera surveillance.
The spokesperson said the facilities at Roxham Road were meant to last three to five years. The decrease in foot traffic and the considerable cost of upgrading the facilities played major roles in the decision to tear them down.
Poirier said he could not provide a specific price tag for the RCMP's continued presence at the unofficial border crossing, only saying it was in the millions.
"At certain moments, there were hundreds of RCMP agents per week working here," he said. "We are back to the deployment we had prior to the migrant crisis."
Closing a 'beacon of hope'
Watching the infrastructure being torn down at Roxham Road was a sad moment for Wendy Ayotte, founder of the refugee-advocacy organization Bridges Not Borders in Hemmingford, Que.
She said the crossing was a"beacon of hope" for many — refugee claimants from more than 20 countries who take big risks crossing Panama's Darien Gap, Mexico and the United States in search of a better life.
"Canada has taken a step backwards in terms of playing our part on the world stage of offering protection to the growing numbers of refugees in the world," she said.
And now there is a humanitarian crisis in Plattsburg, N.Y., because irregular immigrants, as of March 25, are being sent back to the United States, she said.
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"They're finding themselves in the Plattsburgh bus station without material resources," she said. "And very often people are sleeping on the streets."
Frantz André, a Montreal-based advocate for asylum seekers, said there has been a lot of despair since March.
He said many people are coming by air instead, and once let in, they aren't necessarily claiming asylum at the airport. They don't know they can, and there have been reports of people living on the streets. He is concerned about what will happen to those who come in winter and don't know how to get help.
Quieter life in border town
While advocates are concerned about safety, the mayor of the small border town of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., told CBC News that the closure of Roxham Road has allowed her citizens get back to a quieter way of life, after years of disruption.
Estelle Muzzi said there are far fewer people crossing the border at Roxham Road since March, making the area much calmer than before.
It's true that the number of irregular immigrants arriving between official ports of entry has significantly declined since application of the STCA was expanded in March, said Isabelle Dubois, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in a statement.
The expansion aimed to deter irregular crossings between the ports of entry and to reaffirm that foreign nationals should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter be it Canada or the U.S., she said.
However, the changes will not stop people from claiming asylum in Canada, she added, and the country is still experiencing a rise in the number of asylum claims.
"There is no simple solution to the global migration crisis, and it will take all levels of government to ensure long-term compassionate measures," she said.
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Dubois said Canada is extending its interim housing assistance program until March, adding $212 million. IRCC has also been providing temporary accommodations to asylum claimants who crossed irregularly, Dubois said.
These measures help claimants and relieve pressure on shelters while IRCC explores long-term support options in collaboration with provinces and municipalities, she said.
Provinces and municipalities are responsible for managing and delivering social services, but claimants are eligible for federal health-care coverage and timely access to work permits through various programs and initiatives, she said.
- Quebec asks feds to close Roxham Road, says province can't handle influx of refugees
"Responding to the needs of asylum claimants requires collaboration and engagement," said Dubios.
"We remain committed to working together in partnership with the municipalities, provinces and key stakeholders, and are confident that with everyone at the table, we can implement long-term, sustainable, and compassionate measures that will ensure that the most vulnerable newcomers have a roof over their heads."
