‘Only option left’: US policy changes send asylum seekers, refugees to Canada

A spokesperson for a Montreal-based group that helps illegal migrants says the threat of US administration policies could be the reason why a Quebec border crossing has seen an increase in the number of people seeking asylum.

“[US President Donald Trump] revoked some programs that these people were in, and some of them were to be expired in 2026, 2027,” Frantz André from Action Committee for People Without Status told CTV Your Morning on Monday.

“So, people are running away because they are actually physically deporting people that were supposed to be in the program for months to come.”

According to Canada Border Services Agency data, the number of asylum claims at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing has increased since the beginning of the year – 1,356 applications in March and 557 claims for the first week of April.

This increase coincides with the US administration ordering a revocation of temporary protection status of approximately 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians.

With the influx of migrants at the border crossing, Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge says the province can’t handle more asylum seekers.

“Canada is probably the only option left [for asylum seekers],” André said. “If they stay in the US they receive letters saying you can no longer stay.”

In 2024, Canada experienced a notable increase in asylum claims, with nearly 14,000 claims filed by international students alone in the first nine months. There was a surge in asylum seekers from India at Canadian airports, with a 500% increase in the second quarter. Overall, the number of asylum claims in 2023 saw a 57% increase compared to 2022.

Between January 1 and September 30, 2024, over 13,600 asylum claims were filed by international students, a nearly 14% increase from the previous year. In the second quarter of 2024, there was a dramatic 500% increase in asylum claims from Indian nationals at Canadian airports, with approximately 6,000 claims.

In 2023, Canada received approximately 144,950 asylum claims, a 57% increase compared to 2022 and more than double the pre-pandemic level of approximately 64,000 claims in 2019.