Canada-U.S. asylum deal won’t end drama at border: experts

A sign emblazoned with warnings of potential arrest for illegal asylum seekers now looms over the unofficial Canada-U.S. border crossing at Roxham Road in Quebec. But experts who work directly with those hoping to start a new life in Canada say they doubt such warnings — and the new migration rules they’re intended to uphold — will do much to deter cross-border traffic.

Restricting access to the border and preventing migrants from accessing a safe pathway into the country will only incentivize badfaith actors, said Abdulla Daoud, executive director of Montrealbased The Refugee Centre.

“This type of decision-making … in the past, has led to the creation of many human traffickers,” Daoud said. “Canada never really had to deal with that too much. But now I think we’re going to see the numbers increase because these individuals are not going to go away.”

The new rules were announced on Friday during U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip to Ottawa.

It was described in U.S. documents as a “supplement” to the 2004 treaty known as the Safe Third Country Agreement. That treaty prevents people in Canada or in the United States from crossing the border and making a refugee claim in either country — but until now, it only covered official points of entry.

As of Saturday, the treaty started to apply along the entire nearly 9,000-kilometre border, including at popular unofficial crossings such as Roxham Road through which tens of thousands of asylum seekers have entered Canada in the past few years.

All was quiet there on Saturday morning, with only members of the media on hand.

The sign installed on Friday and unveiled at midnight when the new agreement took effect now warns newcomers that it is illegal to enter Canada through Roxham Road. “You will be arrested and may be returned to the United States. Refugee claimants must request protection in the first safe country they arrive in,” the new sign reads.

The executive director of Home of the World, a shelter for asylum seekers and migrants in Montreal, said it is possible that would-be refugees who are determined to cross into Canada might end up dying by taking dangerous routes into the country.

“It’s very possible that people will try to cross over using more hidden places and get stuck in the woods for two weeks and end up losing their lives,” Eva GraciaTurgeon said. “We are talking about not only individuals but also families and pregnant women and young children who are going to cross. So potentially, there will be more drama at the border.”