Quebec has received 96 per cent of illegal border crossings in 2018

Quebec continues to receive the overwhelming majority of asylum seekers in Canada, with 96 per cent of illegal crossings into the country so far in 2018 happening at its border with the United States, according to recent RCMP statistics.

The rapid increase in the number is spurring calls from politicians in the province and community groups for Ottawa to change an agreement with the United States they say is encouraging people to get into Canada outside official ports of entry.

Out of 7,612 people who crossed illegally into the country during the first four months of the year, 7,307 came into Quebec — 2,479 in April alone, a 32 per cent increase from March.

Manitoba and British Columbia received the remainder, with about 150 asylum seekers each entering those provinces so far in 2018.

The Quebec government said projections suggested there could be as many as 400 crossings per day this summer, compared to 250 in 2017.

In recent months, the number of new arrivals has increased dramatically, with many would-be refugees coming from Nigeria after spending only short periods of time in the United States before boarding buses destined for the border.

Stephan Reichhold, director of a Montreal-based group that represents 140 Quebec organizations working with refugees, immigrants and people without status, said it’s unclear exactly why Nigerians are coming to Canada in greater numbers.

Aside from illegal border crossings, 7,810 people arrived at an official Canadian point of entry — land, marine or air — and applied for asylum status in the first four months of 2018.

Roughly 65 per cent of those were in Quebec and about 30 per cent in Ontario.