No expected influx of US-asylum seekers when warm weather hits, say feds
Posted March 2, 2017 10:39 am.
Last Updated March 6, 2017 10:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, ON. (NEWS 1130) – The latest federal government update on asylum seekers coming to Canada from the US shows the numbers are rising, but it’s difficult to tell exactly how many have crossed the border illegally.
So far this year the RCMP says it has caught about 430 people who have illegally entered Canada in BC, Manitoba and Quebec.
But this number doesn’t accurately reflect the total number of people who have crossed through fields or ditches to get here, since they may also be included in a slew of other numbers released in a technical briefing today with senior government officials.
While there isn’t an exact number we do know that overall asylum claims at land crossings and inland offices have increased in the first two months of this year, some more than double what we saw during the same period a year ago.
Officials say, despite fears, they have no reason to believe the numbers will rise dramatically when the weather warms up, adding it’s just speculation and history has shown that usually isn’t the case.
Nonetheless, Ottawa is closely monitoring the situation and says it will keep in contact with US officials and shift resources as necessary.
