Asylum seekers were able to cross Roxham Road before midnight on Friday, while others will likely be directed to a border crossing under the new Canada-US agreement. Yaya, a West African asylum seeker stressed that he learned regarding the crossing while speeding away from New York around 5 p.m. and reached Roxham Road just 30 minutes before the new agreement came into effect. Many asylum seekers dragged their suitcases along the dirt road in -3-degree weather, while taxi and shuttle drivers received last-minute requests. At midnight, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers installed a new sign for migrants, reminding them that they must request asylum in the first safe country they arrive in, and not to cross irregular entry points. The procedure wasn’t immediately enforced on a small family of four who arrived following midnight, as they were allowed to line up with other asylum seekers. However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that migrants who cross at these points will be sent back to a US customs post.
CHAMPLAIN, New York | Asylum seekers narrowly managed to cross Roxham Road before midnight on the night of Friday to Saturday, while the following will likely be redirected to a border crossing.
“I was very stressed. We learned regarding it on the way, ”says Yaya, met south of the United States border.
Leaving New York around 5 p.m., the man from West Africa received a fine for speeding on the highway, wanting to make sure not to miss his chance, says one of his relatives.
He finally arrived at the irregular crossing of Roxham Road just half an hour before the new agreement between Canada and the United States came into effect, much to his relief.
Time pressed
Around 11 p.m., there were around thirty of them queuing in -3 degrees, like him, in front of the reception facilities.
Men, women and children dragged their heavy suitcases with difficulty on the dirt road separating the two countries.
Taxi and shuttle drivers pressed for time, for their part, multiplied the journeys, inundated with last-minute requests.
“I spoke with my boss for five minutes on the phone and he had 26 missed calls during that time,” says driver Tyler Provost.
This contrasts with the start of his day, not really busier than normal.
MARTIN ALARIE / MONTREAL JOURNAL
A new sign
At the stroke of midnight, officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police unveiled a new sign for migrants.
“Asylum seekers must make their request in the first safe country where they arrived”, we recall in both languages, given the agreement officially announced yesterday.
It remains to be seen how this will be applied in practice.
The Journal found that a small family of four arrived in a black pick-up at 12:03 a.m. and was arrested by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer following crossing the border, as required by procedure.
The parents and their children were not immediately pushed back to the United States, but were asked to line up alongside other asylum seekers.
Returned to the United States
Justin Trudeau nevertheless argued at a press conference on Friday that those who enter Canada through irregular entry points would now be sent back to a US customs post.
Roland-Luc Béliveau, former mayor of Lacolle from 2013 to 2017, had been waiting for this moment for years.
“I’m here tonight to close the loop, it’s symbolic. But I expected a more drastic procedure, ”says the one who has already suggested installing barbed wire on Roxham Road.
As the new agreement between Canada and the United States came into effect, asylum seekers at the irregular crossing of Roxham Road faced a race once morest time to cross before authorities redirected them to a border crossing. Taxi and shuttle drivers worked tirelessly to accommodate last-minute requests while men, women, and children braved the freezing temperature and dragged their heavy suitcases across the dirt road. With a new sign unveiled by officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the possibility of being sent back to a US customs post, the future remains uncertain for those seeking asylum. Former mayor of Lacolle, Roland-Luc Béliveau, has been waiting for this moment for years and while he sees it as a symbolic closure, he had hoped for a more drastic procedure.