‘Surprising’: Canadian official reacts to migrants leaving New York

Feb 07, 2023

Shannon Longworth Anchor

By Shannon Longworth (Anchor), Ben Burke (Producer/Editor)

A top official in the Canadian province of Québec spoke with reporters about recent reports of migrants who were bussed to New York City and are now making their way to Canada. New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed those reports Monday.

Québec Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette described the development as “surprising.” She said it highlighted the need to “solve the problem of Roxham Road,” referring to an unofficial border crossing south of Montreal used by thousands of asylum seekers every year.

Back in 2002, the United States and Canada signed the Safe Third Country Agreement. The treaty requires migrants to make an asylum claim in the first country they enter, whether that be the U.S. or Canada.

“The agreement helps both governments better manage access to the refugee system in each country for people crossing the Canada–U.S. land border,” the Canadian government writes about the treaty. However, the government added the agreement only applies to migrants who arrive:

at official Canada-U.S. land border crossings
by train
at airports, only if the person seeking refugee protection in Canada has been refused refugee status in the U.S. and is in transit through Canada after being deported from the U.S.

This means unofficial border crossings, like Roxham Road, are not a part of the treaty. Fréchette said U.S. and Canadian officials were negotiating to update the Safe Third Country Agreement to include situations like the New York migrants heading to Canada.

“I think it makes the urgency of the situation even more apparent,” Frechétte said.

BBC News contributed to this report.

Tags: Canada, Eric Adams, Migrant buses, New York, New York City, United States

Yesterday, we brought you the story of migrants who were bussed to New York City and are now making their way to Canada.
You can find that on our website — Straight Arrow News dot com.
Now — we’re hearing from Canadian officials on the matter.
Quebec immigration minister Christine Fréchette described the news as “surprising.”
She said it highlights the need to “solve the problem of Roxham Road” — an unofficial border crossing south of Montreal used by thousands of asylum seekers every year.
Currently — the U-S and Canada have an agreement that only allows migrants to make asylum claims in the first country they enter.
However — it only applies to official border crossings — and not Roxham Road.
Frechette said Canada and the U-S were negotiating an update to the agreement.