New York migrants head to Quebec, irritating some Canadians

After stops in congested New York, some migrants are giving up on the American dream and heading north to a secluded crossing on the Canadian border.

Trips to Roxham Road, a 5-mile trail marked with a makeshift Canadian customs barn and long used by asylum seekers seeking illegal entry into the Great White North, seem to be becoming more frequent this winter.

The crossings have become a new direction in a wave of migration, fueled by political turmoil in Venezuela and Nicaragua, which is irritating some Canadians even as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is trying to open its arms to the refugees.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, January 10, 2023

New York City has received about 45,000 migrants in the past 10 months and continues to support about 30,000 people, according to official estimates. But the city, which at times struggled to accommodate arrivals, also helped some migrants leave.

City contractors have purchased bus tickets for asylum seekers heading to upstate Plattsburgh, 20 taxi miles from Roxham Road. The intersection connects the quiet border towns of Champlain, New York, and Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec.

City officials say trips to Plattsburgh are no different from trips to other cities and resent comparisons to the brutal charter bus program that Texas has rolled out to bring thousands of migrants – some against their will – to New York, Washington and other cities. Chicago.

Ann Williams-Isom, New York’s deputy mayor for health and human services, said the city will help asylum seekers looking for loved ones elsewhere, but has never forced anyone to leave the five boroughs.

The marches from New York north to the border did not result in the type of political smear that Mayor Adams and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott engaged in over the summer. Trudeau, a third-term Liberal, has presided over a historically high level of immigration to Canada.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference on January 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas.  governor

Trudeau’s immigration statement said Canada is working with New York City authorities to ensure “the safe and humane treatment of asylum seekers” and rejects the notion that migrants are being forced to travel to Plattsburgh or taken by bus directly to the border.

“Canada remains firmly committed to helping those who truly need help and protection,” Bahoz immigration spokeswoman Dara Aziz said in a statement, urging arrivals to use official entry points.

However, the Roxham trend has ruffled some Canadians. In The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, a conservative columnist said New York’s role in illegal border crossings was “shameful.”

“Justin Trudeau imported the problem of illegal immigration into Canada from the United States,” wrote columnist Brian Lilly. “Now he’s got a problem that’s getting bigger with his political ally Eric Adams handing out bus tickets.”

Some Canadian officials have said the surge in arrivals at Wroxham Road requires entry to be permanently closed.

“We are, to put it mildly, surprised that New York City has decided to pay for transportation to get migrants out of the city,” the office of Christine Frechette, Quebec’s conservative immigration minister, said in a statement. “We call on the Government of Canada to close this illegal crossing.”

Frechette spokesman Alexandre Lae urged federal Canadian funds to support Quebec as it welcomes more migrants. Adams has been making similar requests to Washington in recent months.

About two out of three asylum seekers who arrived in Quebec last year arrived via Wroxham Road, according to the provincial government. In the last months of 2022, the number of arrivals at Wroxham has risen sharply, with 4,748 crossings recorded in December, up 71% from December 2021.

In Champlain, an Adirondack village of about 6,000, the trend has caused occasional congestion on city roads but little other impact, said Thomas Trombley, city warden.

“City resources are not being used,” Trombley said by phone on Thursday. “This is not a city problem. This is a federal issue.”

In New York, Adams attempted to draw a contrast between the northward movement of migrants supported by the city and the path that some of them took to Manhattan.

Mayor Eric Adams

“The city has no role to play in persuading migrants to go to Canada,” Adams said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“Migrants were forced to come to New York — many of them didn’t want to come,” the mayor said. “We talk to people, interact with them and ask: “What are your needs?”

Canada often issues work permits to asylum seekers faster than the US, which has a strictly reserved document issuance system.

Asylum seekers heading north may not initially find the frosty border friendlier than the US and Canadian police stationed on Wroxham Road, and usually delay arrivals.

However, Jacqueline Bonisteel, a corporate immigration law firm partner in Canada, said in an interview that asylum seekers who cross the road at Wroxham Road will be allowed to go through Canada’s asylum procedure.

“While Roxham Road is not a legal entry point into Canada, the provisions of our Refugee Act apply,” Bonistil said. “It is not illegal for an asylum seeker to enter Canada for the purpose of applying for asylum.”

Content Source

California Press News – Latest News:
Los Angeles Local News || Bay Area Local News || California News || Lifestyle News || National news || Travel News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button