The hardening of the border between Canada and the United States worries several field organizations. These long-time observers fear that the new provisions will force asylum seekers to go through more dangerous places and have to resort to professional smugglers. The announcement could also speed up border arrivals in the coming days, they said.
Although several details are still unknown, sources confirmed on Thursday that the entire border would now have the same status as the official entry points. This change means that Canada will be able to return to the United States a person who tries to cross by an irregular route, such as Roxham Road.
“We are very worried because it’s the worst imaginable scenario,” laments Stephan Reichhold, director of the Roundtable of Organizations Serving Refugees and Immigrants (TCRI). “If this is confirmed, we believe that the movement of irregular migration will intensify across the border, as we have seen elsewhere in Mexico or Europe for example,” he continues.
“I’m afraid to see how it will apply. Roxham Road closed, all the other roads elsewhere will open, ”says Frantz André, member of the Action Committee for People Without Status (CAPSS).
Asylum seekers could decide to go through places that are less guarded or more remote, and therefore potentially more risky. The geography between the two neighboring countries is dotted with large bodies of water, mountains, forests or freezing plains in winter. “It will blow up the industry of professional smugglers, who know that they can ask for a lot of money,” says Mr. Reichhold.
Until now, the migratory journey to Roxham Road has not been underground, with asylum seekers taking buses or taxis in broad daylight.
Mr. André also sees these new measures as a breach of the fundamental principle of non-refoulement of the Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees: “What message are we sending? We flout our signature, ”he analyzes. Then he lets go, disappointed: “I didn’t think it would come to this in Canada. »
It is also the way in which these new restrictions are applied that concerns the organizations receiving asylum seekers. According to our sources, Canada is committed to welcoming 15,000 more people on a regular basis, but no one has yet been able to describe the mechanism. Will there be selected countries of origin? Will this sorting be done on arrival? “Border agents are not equipped to make such a selection,” says Mr. André, citing difficulties especially during the restrictions of the pandemic.
The Safe Third Country Agreement between Ottawa and Washington has so far only covered official land ports of entry. A person passing through another place at the border, including Roxham Road, could therefore file an asylum application.