USA TODAY International Edition
Canada warns migrants against going north
Some unwelcome in U.S. caught crossing border
MIAMI – Canadian officials have been trying to stem a wave of undocumented immigrants headed their way.
In what has become an increasingly regular mission, Canadian representatives visited the U.S. last week to warn immigrants fearful about President Trump’s immigration crackdown that they can’t simply rush north of the border to find safe haven.
Randy Boissonnault, a liberal member of Parliament and a special adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, visited South Florida to try to educate would-be immigrants about the limitations of the Canadian immigration system.
In the past year, Canada has seen bursts of U.S.-based immigrants crossing illegally into Canada, mostly into the Quebec province that borders New York and other northeastern U.S. states.
In August, Royal Canadian Mounted Police caught more than 5,500 people trying to illegally cross from the U.S.
Those people were mostly Haitian immigrants who will soon lose Temporary Protected Status as part of the Trump administration’s phase-out of the TPS program that has protected more than 300,000 people from countries struck by war and natural disasters. Only about 8% of their asylum application have been approved, however, meaning the vast majority have been turned down and are being deported straight back to their home countries.
“People seem to think that if they cross the border, there’s this land of milk and honey on the other side,” Boissonnault said from the Canadian consulate in Miami on Thursday. “What we want is for people to have the right information. We want them to do the right thing for their families.”
The Canadians started conducting their visits to the U.S. last summer, when they first saw their illegal immigration numbers going up. They’ve visited Los Angeles, where many Mexican and Central American immigrants live. And they’ve made several trips to the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami.
This week, Boissonnault met with groups that work with a variety of immigrants in South Florida.
Olga Radchenko, director of parliamentary affairs for Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said officials in their 12 consulates around the U.S. have been trying to deliver the same message. And by this summer, the Miami consulate will have a new full-time officer whose responsibilities will include outreach to communities most likely to try to illegally enter Canada.
“Canadians are broadly supportive of immigration,” Radchenko said. “But Canadians truly believe in order and wellmanaged immigration.”