There has been an 846% increase in immigrant arrivals crossing the northern border into the U.S. in 2023. The number of immigrants crossing the border into Canada has also skyrocketed. This was one of the main topics President Biden discussed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his official visit. The two leaders announced an agreement for both countries to combat the growing wave of asylum seekers.
Welcome, @POTUS Biden – to Canada, to Ottawa, and to our home. We’re happy to have you here. pic.twitter.com/mT3kl2wf0T
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 24, 2023
Canada to turn back immigrants arriving via Roxham Road
Under the new agreement, which was reported by The New York Times, Canada will be able to return immigrants entering the U.S. through Roxham Road to the U.S.This is an unauthorized access point, which is widely used by illegals since it is not officially a border crossing point and is outside of the Safe Third Country Treaty between Quebec and Washington D.C. This agreement requires those who apply for asylum in Canada from the U.S. to file their claim here instead of going to a Canadian port of entry.
Roxham Road is literally a road that ends at the border and starts up again on the other side. A loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement has made it one of the most used locations by illegals trying to gain access to Canada. The country has become one of the most popular places for illegal aliens to enter Canada. The Canadian police were forced to set up a temporary police station to contain the avalanche of immigrants arriving there.
Canada has committed to launching a new legal refugee program that would benefit 15,000 people fleeing violence, persecution and economic devastation in South and Central America. The Biden Administration believes this initiative will reduce the pressure of illegal crossings from Mexico.
Record arrivals of immigrants in both countries
Illegal migratory pressure is a serious headache for both countries. Both are experiencing record numbers of migrant arrivals seeking asylum and are overflowing into neighboring states and cities. The Trudeau administration reported a record 3,901 unauthorized immigrant entries into Quebec in 2022, almost all through Roxham Road. This number was surpassed in January 2023 alone, when 4,875 asylum seekers crossed. Faced with this avalanche, the country's authorities have been forced to bus a significant number of immigrants to other provinces.
In the United States, the northern border has also seen a dramatic increase in the number of encounters with irregular immigrants. According to Border Patrol data, entries increased by 846% compared to 2022. For example, Vermont went from 24 arrests in January of last year to 367 in the same month in 2023. In annual computations, the 2022 fiscal year ended with a record 109,535 encounters, almost double the number of illegal entrants recorded in the previous two years (27,180 in 2021 and 32,376 in 2020). So far this fiscal year, there have already been 68,784 arrests.
