CHAMPLAIN, New York | Asylum seekers narrowly managed to cross Roxham Road before midnight on the night of Friday to Saturday, while the following will likely be redirected to a border crossing.
“I was very stressed. We learned about it on the way, ”says Yaya, met south of the United States border.
Leaving New York around 5 p.m., the man from West Africa received a fine for speeding on the highway, wanting to make sure not to miss his chance, says one of his relatives.
He finally arrived at the irregular crossing of Roxham Road just half an hour before the new agreement between Canada and the United States came into effect, much to his relief.
Time pressed
Around 11 p.m., there were around thirty of them queuing in -3 degrees, like him, in front of the reception facilities.
Men, women and children dragged their heavy suitcases with difficulty on the dirt road separating the two countries.
Taxi and shuttle drivers pressed for time, for their part, multiplied the journeys, inundated with last-minute requests.
“I spoke with my boss for five minutes on the phone and he had 26 missed calls during that time,” says driver Tyler Provost.
This contrasts with the start of his day, not really busier than normal.
MARTIN ALARIE / MONTREAL JOURNAL
A new sign
At the stroke of midnight, officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police unveiled a new sign for migrants.
“Asylum seekers must make their request in the first safe country where they arrived”, we recall in both languages, given the agreement officially announced yesterday.
It remains to be seen how this will be applied in practice.
The Journal found that a small family of four arrived in a black pick-up at 12:03 a.m. and was arrested by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer after crossing the border, as required by procedure.
The parents and their children were not immediately pushed back to the United States, but were asked to line up alongside other asylum seekers.
Returned to the United States
Justin Trudeau nevertheless argued at a press conference on Friday that those who enter Canada through irregular entry points would now be sent back to a US customs post.
Roland-Luc Béliveau, former mayor of Lacolle from 2013 to 2017, had been waiting for this moment for years.
“I’m here tonight to close the loop, it’s symbolic. But I expected a more drastic procedure, ”says the one who has already suggested installing barbed wire on Roxham Road.