Five things the federal government is doing about the influx of border crossers
OTTAWA — Nearly 7,000 people have crossed illegally into Canada in the last six weeks, most intent on filing for refugee status. The surge this summer caps seven months of near-steady increases in the number of people entering into Canada between official border crossings to seek asylum.
Here are five things the federal government has done as a result:
1) Shift around border guards, RCMP officers and immigration officials. Everyone who crosses illegally into Canada is apprehended, and if they say they are here to seek asylum, must pass security checks, and then a review of whether they are in fact eligible to make a claim. The arrival of thousands more people than normal in provinces such as Manitoba and Quebec has prompted an increase in security and immigration officials at those entry points. In Montreal, for example, a team of eight immigration officers is being increased to a group 45. The Immigration and Refugee Board has also devoted 20 of its members solely to hearing the asylum claims.
2) Provide temporary housing. From cots at Montreal’s Olympic stadium to tents outside a conference centre in Cornwall, Ont., officials have scrambled to provide temporary shelter to the new arrivals. The reason? They need to be screened for admissibility to Canada before they can be allowed to move freely about the country.