Snowy northern winters tend to see a drop in asylum-seekers crossing from the United States into Canada at Roxham Road, Quebec. Not this past winter.
In December the number of asylum-seekers entering Canada outside formal land border crossings reached its highest point since August 2017, government statistics show.
The growing caseload is lengthening wait times for eligibility hearings, leaving claimants waiting months on social assistance before getting work permits, one attorney said.
The increase follows the lifting of a pandemic-era order in December. Since March 2020, border police had refused entry to all asylum-seekers in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“It seems to me the ministry has been caught off guard,” said Montreal lawyer Pierre-Luc Bouchard, who has 70 refugee cases after two years with almost zero new clients. “They are completely confused.”
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Reuters last week that the increase was expected and said it is working to speed up applications and shorten eligibility hearing wait times.
In December, Royal Canadian Mounted Police intercepted 2,811 asylum-seekers crossing the border outside formal land ports of entry, the vast majority crossing into Quebec. In January and February they intercepted 2,382 and 2,164, respectively, compared to 888 and 808 in January and February of 2019.
These asylum-seekers can enter Canada because they do not enter at formal border crossings. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, set to be contested at Canada’s Supreme Court, Canada and the United States can turn back asylum-seekers in either direction at formal land border crossings.
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‘PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE’
Volunteers who come to the border bearing water bottles or mittens and who try to ensure border-crossers’ rights are respected have resumed their weekly trips to Roxham Road after suspending them during the pandemic, said Frances Ravensbergen, a coordinator for migrant advocacy group Bridges Not Borders.
Some asylum-seekers “have kind of waited for the borders to reopen,” Bouchard said.
Roxham Road is not a formal border crossing, although so many asylum-seekers use it that police officers are often stationed there to intercept migrants.
Some would-be refugees were waiting in the United States, others in Latin America or in Kenya until they felt they could make the trip to Canada via the United States, Bouchard said. Canadian refugee claimants come from a range of countries, including Mexico, Colombia, India and Iran.
Many keep abreast of Canada’s shifting regulations, “sometimes with some confusion,” Bouchard said.
But Bouchard thinks there is more than just Canada’s lifted border closure at play. “People are desperate,” he said.
He said the increase was also an indication that “under (President) Joe Biden the (U.S.) immigration policies have not really, really changed,” especially regarding gender-based refugee claims, which are seen as less likely to succeed in the United States.
U.S. apprehensions of migrants crossing from Mexico reached a 20-year high last year, and the Biden administration has been reluctant to roll back all the measures imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump.
The U.S. government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — New Zealand won the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time, beating South Africa by 32 runs on Sunday after a standout performance from Amelia Kerr with bat and ball.
South Africa’s chase was held to 126-9 in 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in reply to New Zealand’s 158-5 in the final of the 18-day tournament.
South Africa was also seeking to become a first-time champion.
After South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to bowl, Kerr top scored for New Zealand with a 38-ball 43. Brooke Halliday hit 38 runs in 28 deliveries and opener Suzie Bates scored 32 in 31. Nonkululeko Mlaba took 2-31 in four overs for South Africa.
South Africa made a strong start to its chase, reaching 51-1 in 6.5 overs but never really threatened afterward, reaching the halfway stage of its innings at 64-3.
Wolvaardt top scored for South Africa with a 27-ball 33.
Kerr took 3-24 in her four overs, including Wolvaardt’s wicket.
This was South Africa’s second straight final appearance in the tournament. Losing to Australia by 19 runs, it had finished runners-up in its home tournament in 2023, its best result in the tournament.
New Zealand, meanwhile, reached the tournament final for the first time since 2010. In the first two editions – 2009 and 2010 – it had lost to England by six wickets in London, and to Australia by three runs in Barbados.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday canceled his trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after an accident at home that left him with a cut in the neck, his office said.
The 78-year-old leader was scheduled to attend a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies in the city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
Hospital Sirio Libanês in Sao Paulo said in a statement that the leftist leader was instructed not to take long distance trips, but can keep his other activities. Doctors Roberto Kalil and Ana Heleno Germoglio said they will regularly check on Lula’s recovery.
Brazil’s presidency said in a separate statement that Lula will take part in the summit by videoconference and will continue his work in capital Brasilia this week. It did not disclose details about what caused the president’s injury.
