More irregular border-crossers have arrived in Canada so far this year than by this time last year.
According to new numbers posted online by the RCMP, there were a total of 1,601 interceptions by RCMP of irregular border crossers in September.
While that is fewer than the 1,881 intercepted in September 2017, it keeps the overall number of irregular arrivals in Canada so far this year, above the number who arrived by this time last year.
By September 2017, there were 15,102 RCMP interceptions of irregular border crossers.
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As of September 2018, there have been 15,726.
That means the government is unlikely to see a significant decrease in the number of irregular border-crossers arriving this year compared to last.
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The government has insisted the issue of irregular border crosses is not a crisis.
“There is a challenge, but it is not a crisis,” said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale during an appearance before an emergency meeting of the House of Commons immigration committee to discuss the situation in July.
But a poll released by the Angus Reid Institute found 67 per cent of Canadians disagree and think it is a “crisis.”
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In 2017, a total of 20,593 irregular border-crossers arrived in Canada.
But that came amid steep fluctuations from lows of 315 in January 2017 to highs of 5,712 in August 2017.
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So far this year, the lowest number of irregular monthly crossings was 1,263 in July.
Even in January and February 2018, a total of 1,517 and 1,565 crossed the border irregularly each month.
The highest monthly crossing was in April 2018 with 2,560.
Combined, those statistics put the average number of crossings at 1,747 per month.
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If the remaining months of the year see 1,263 people arrive each month — the lowest monthly amount seen so far this year — Canada will end the year with 19,515 irregular border-crossers arriving.
If the remaining months of the year see numbers similar to January 2018, Canada will end the year with 20,277 irregular border crossers.
And if the remaining months of the year see the average number of monthly arrivals, Canada will end the year with 20,967.
The latter would be hundreds more than the 2017 total of 20,593.