Ottawa’s asylum plan could soon be tested

Plans in place to receive possible influx of Salvadorans illegally entering Canada

OTTAWA — The federal government’s contingency plans for a new surge of asylum seekers at the border this winter could be put to the test with the pending U.S. decision on the fate of as many as 200,000 Salvadorans.

The Trump administration is on the cusp of announcing whether it will renew the temporary protected status (TPS) that’s allowed Salvadorans to live in the United States without fear of deportation since 2001.

Their status expires in March, and with the U.S. ending what’s known as the TPS program for thousands of nationals from other countries in recent months, it’s likely Salvadorans are next.

The U.S. has argued the temporary nature of the program has been abused, and the conditions — like natural disasters or conflict — that had made it unsafe for people to return to certain countries have changed.

But that’s left thousands of people facing deportation to countries they haven’t lived in for years.

When asked what he’d do if he lost his TPS status, Salvadoran Carlos Reyes, 40, who lives in Long Island, N.Y., told Newsday that Canada was an option.

“One thing I know is I’m going to lose my job, and if I don’t have a job, what can I do? I don’t want to go there [to El Salvador] but I won’t be able to stay here,” he told the American newspaper this week.

“... There’s Canada, but I don’t know anything about Canada. My life and everything is here.”

Salvadorans represent the largest population covered by the temporary protected status program.

The potential for them and other Central Americans to come to Canada was flagged in briefing notes by Canadian diplomats in the U.S. earlier this year.

The effort was prompted by a surge of Haitian asylum seekers crossing the border illegally on foot. All people entering Canada in such a manner are arrested.

The Haitians began arriving even before a final decision had been made on their temporary status and the surge — upwards of 200 people a day in the summer months — saw the Liberal government scramble to mount a response.

Temporary shelters were set up at the Quebec-New York border and dozens of RCMP, border and immigration officials were dispatched to the area to manage the situation.

At the same time, plans were drawn up for a longer-term response to the situation should another major surge materialize.

Winterized trailers were purchased and are now in use at the Lacolle, Que., crossing. A contingency plan — the details of which have not been made public — remains at the ready.

A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale suggested it’s not being rolled out quite yet.

“The volume of irregular border crossers at Lacolle recently has been comparable to the levels we’ve seen this fall,” Scott Bardsley said in an email.

Just over 1,500 people in total crossed illegally into Canada in November, down from 5,530 in August. But the November numbers are still comparatively high — in January 2017, only 315 people crossed.

Haitians make up the vast majority of the border crossers who have filed asylum claims; Salvadorans don’t currently even crack the top 10, according to figures from the Immigration and Refugee Board.

When a person enters the country illegally, they are arrested and held until a determination is made on their case. Most are returned to the United States or their country of origin, as Ottawa demands they proceed through normal immigration channels.