A dozen asylum seekers encountered an unforeseen obstacle on Saturday when they found that Roxham Road was no longer the easy gateway they wanted to enter Canada
The agreement announced Friday between Ottawa and Washington which will make the 8,900 kilometers of their common border an official crossing and which will lead to the refoulement of asylum seekers who cross it, in particular at Roxham Road, in Quebec, came into force on Saturday.
The news surprised these refugee claimants getting off a bus from Plattsburgh. Many learned about it from media representatives who were waiting for them.
“Wow! exclaimed a Colombian with an incredulous look. He did not identify himself, but said in Spanish that he was traveling with his wife and young son. A few minutes later, he approached the journalist from The Canadian Press to ask her if Roxham Road was really closed.
Until Friday, lines of taxis were parked at the bus stop, ready to transport customers to the crossing point. On Saturday, only one came.
The driver, who declined to say his name, transported two Colombian families to the border. He only shrugged when asked if he knew that these passengers could be arrested once at their destination.
The day had started very calmly at the Roxham border crossing in Quebec. Only a few journalists were waiting for the possible arrival of newcomers wishing to cross the Canada-US border in order to apply for refugee status.
A new sign has been installed to warn newcomers that it is now illegal to cross the border at this point.
“Entering Canada here is illegal. You will be arrested and could be sent back to the United States. Asylum seekers should apply in the first safe country they arrive in,” it read.
An elected member of the New York State Legislature has expressed concern about the consequences of the new agreement on American citizens.
“It becomes a local problem, because we have a large flow of people coming here, says Billy Jones. If they are denied access [au Canada], where will they go? What will they do? From a humanitarian point of view, we don’t want these people to be stuck at the border. They are often not prepared for the conditions we have here. »
Secrecy
The new asylum seekers agreement between Canada and the United States will not deter migrants from trying to enter Canada outside of official ports of entry, say immigration advocacy groups in Quebec.
Restricting border access and preventing migrants from accessing a safe path into the country will only embolden some individuals, Abdulla Daoud, executive director of the Montreal-based Refugee Center, said on Friday.
“This type of decision-making […] in the past has led to the creation of many networks of smugglers, underlined Mr. Daoud in an interview with The Canadian Press. Canada has never really had to deal with that, but now I think we’re going to see the numbers go up because these bad guys aren’t going to go away. »
The agreement has been described in US documents as an “addition” to the 2004 treaty known as the Safe Third Country Agreement. This treaty prevents people in Canada or the United States from crossing the border and making a refugee claim in either country, but until now it only covered ports of entry officials.
Eva Gracia-Turgeon, executive director of Foyer du Monde, an organization that temporarily houses asylum seekers and migrants in Montreal, said that potential refugees who are determined to enter Canada may end up dying in taking dangerous routes to enter the country.
“It’s very possible that people will try to cross using more hidden places and get stuck in the woods for days and even lose their lives there,” Ms.me Gracia-Turgeon in interview.
“We are also talking here about families, pregnant women and young children who will be crossing the border. There will therefore potentially be more drama at the border, ”laments Mme Gracia-Turgeon.
At least one asylum seeker was ready to cross the border illegally. A man identifying himself as Herman arrived in New York on Friday from Congo where he left his wife and four children. The individual hopes to join relatives currently living in Ottawa. Speaking in French, he said he had no choice but to go ahead with his plan.
“I miss her,” he said of his family. The living conditions are terrible there. »