Eight migrants cross into Canada near Hemmingford

Eight migrants crossed into Canada near Hemmingford in the Montérégie region.

Eight migrants crossed irregularly into Canada near Hemmingford in the Montérégie region on Friday, officials say.

Frantz André of the Action Committee for People Without Status says people will continue taking risks.

“It’s not going to stop,” André says, adding that he believes more migrants have crossed without being caught.

André points to changes in U.S. immigration policies, most notably the Feb. 3 end of temporary protected status for Haitians. The termination of the program will affect 350,000 Haitians currently living in the U.S.

“During the Donald Trump campaign last year, one of his promises was to deport 11 million people. And unfortunately, he’s executing these promises,” André says.

On Dec. 25, 19 Haitian migrants were also apprehended near Havelock, also in the Montérégie region.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed the individuals ranged in age from one to 60.

According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the migrants requested asylum, but some were deported to the U.S. after their claims were deemed inadmissible under the Safe Third Country Agreement.

The agreement allows Canada to turn away asylum seekers who arrive through official U.S. border crossings, requiring them to make their refugee claim in the first country they enter.

“It is very clear that the United States is no longer a safe country for hundreds of thousands of people,” André says.

Several of the migrants suffered injuries, including frostbite, and the RCMP warned that border crossings are particularly dangerous during winter.

“They would rather die in the States or Canada in that frigid, cold weather than go back to the country where their lives are at stake,” André says.