The sudden closure of the unofficial border crossing at Roxham Road last week has community organizations and legal experts scrambling to obtain details.
But the biggest concern remains the humanitarian impact the deal will have on people’s lives and Canada’s reputation.
Duismary, who did not wish to provide her last name due to security concerns, crossed through Roxham road into Canada after a difficult journey from Venezuela.
She was hoping her daughters would soon join her using the same path, but with news that the unofficial border crossing is now closed, she says her dreams and those of many she met along her journey north, are crushed.
“Those who are on their way are tremendously frustrated,” she said. “They have been travelling this way for months, some up to a year. It’s sad to hear the news.”
Since the news broke on Friday, people at the non-profit Welcome Collective have been scrambling to find details about the deal.
They say its now harder to provide quality information to their clients.
“I’m disappointed in Canada for acting out of political expediency and not out of expertise, reflection, thoughtfulness, care for refugees, care for Canada’s reputation as a leader in refugee welcome,” said Melissa Claisse, the collective’s communication coordinator.
- What is a halal mortgage? How interest-free home financing works in Canada
- Capital gains changes are ‘really fair,’ Freeland says, as doctors cry foul
- Ontario doctors offer solutions to help address shortage of family physicians
- Budget 2024 failed to spark ‘political reboot’ for Liberals, polling suggests
“The whole policy is incredibly short-sighted and it’s definitely going to lead to human suffering.”
What is known is that those seeking to cross into Canada through the irregular border crossing are being turned away.
They are being sent to closest border post in the United States and will become ineligible to claim asylum in Canada for the rest of their lives.
But some exceptions apply, including for unaccompanied minors.
“You’re pushing people underground, you’re pushing them into the dark, you’re pushing them into the hand of smugglers who may be unscrupulous,” Claisse said.
Pearl Eliadis, a lawyer and professor at McGill University says the policy will reduce the flow of migrants crossing through Roxham but it won’t fix the issue.
“I do wonder whether we really just put a bandaid to a much bigger problem,” Eliadis said. “It seems to me that with the kinds of migration flows that are coming from the southern United States, that we do have a role I think in trying to make sure that we’re responding to the best of our ability and really making sure that people are not left in situations where they’re detained, arrested and families are separated.”
In the United States, court documents show that about 5,500 children were split from their parents under former president Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. Under the policy, parents were separated from their children to face criminal prosecution for crossing the border illegally.
Eliadis and Claisse say people crossing through Roxham Road were not jumping the immigration queue.
They’re fleeing a life and death situation, just like Duismary was.
“They lost faith,” she said of those who didn’t make it into Canada on time.
She only hopes the government reconsiders.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Global News in part that the changes are meant to deter irregular crossings between ports of entry. “Irregular routes to Canada or to other countries present very real dangers,” said Michelle Carbert, a spokesperson for the ministry.
— with files from The Associated Press
Comments