Ottawa expected to release full scope of asylum seekers crossing into Canada in August

OTTAWA – New figures are expected today on the number of people who illegally crossed into Canada to seek asylum last month.

Among the numbers will be the final tally of a massive surge in arrivals specifically in Quebec in August.

Officials now say 12,000 people have arrived there since the start of the year, but a breakdown of how many last month in particular will only be released today.

READ MORE: Lacolle border agents, RCMP to stay another year amid spike of asylum seekers

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has said that while the number of daily arrivals has come down since a spike in late July and early August, the government is still keeping close watch on the situation.

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And outreach to ward off potential asylum seekers continues; on Monday, Hussen met organizations in New York City to clarify ongoing misconceptions about the Canadian system that are believed to be spurring some of the arrivals.

The new data will be released in conjunction with the next meeting of the federal-provincial task force struck to manage the problem.

READ MORE: CBSA union outraged over delay in health notice from Health Canada on asylum seekers

Meanwhile, a team from the Immigration and Refugee Board set up specifically to hear claims from border crossers has now begun work in a bid to get the claims moving through the system as quickly as possible.

In general, asylum claims lodged in Canada have been rising steadily since the start of the year. As of July, 17,241 new claims had been received by the board. In all of 2016, they received 23,000.

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