Canadian police brace for 'worst-case scenario' of asylum-seekers fleeing Trump

 Canadian police and migrant aid groups are bracing for an influx of asylum-seekers fleeing President-elect Donald Trump's United States at the same time Canada deals with record numbers of refugee claimants and is trying to bring in fewer immigrants.

The former and now future U.S. president swept to power this week in part on a promise to enact the largest deportation in American history.

When Trump first came to power in 2017, thousands of asylum-seekers crossed into Canada between formal border crossings to file refugee claims – overwhelmingly at Roxham Road, near the Quebec-New York border.

Roxham Road is no longer an option: Canada and the U.S. expanded a bilateral agreement so that now asylum-seekers trying to cross anywhere along the 4,000-mile border, instead of only at formal crossings, are turned back unless they meet a narrow exemption.

This means people crossing from the U.S. to file claims must sneak across undetected and hide out for two weeks before seeking asylum – a potentially dangerous prospect, immigrant advocates say.

But they add people are already doing it.

Canada is already dealing with record numbers of refugee claimants: In July, almost 20,000 people filed refugee claims, according to Immigration and Refugee Board data – the highest monthly total on record and driven by global displacement, advocates and experts told Reuters.

The number has since dipped, to about 16,400 in September, but remains historically high. There are more than 250,000 claims pending, according to the board.

Canada's government has slashed the number of permanent and temporary immigrants but has less control over how many people claim asylum.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/canadian-police-brace-worst-case-110346032.html