https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjs...legals-cross-border-into-canada/#92b1c1510d85n January 2017, Canadian Prime Minister
Trudeau responded to President Trump’s first travel ban by
tweeting:
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith…”
As a result,
Canada’s National Post newspaper recently reported that the country will soon have more American migrant border crossers than it has Syrian refugees - a significant burden on that country's absorptive capacity.
Most of the migrants entering Canada from America are exploiting a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement. The
Safe Third Country Agreement spells out that asylum seekers must make their claim in the country in which they first arrived.
But that only applies when claims are made at official border ports of entry. If, however, asylum seekers reach Canadian territory by avoiding ports of entry, they become entitled to stay while their claims are processed.
That is because of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms and because Canada is a signatory of the U.N. Refugee Convention.
In this way, claimants knowingly avoid return to the U.S. and are placing a strain on Canadian federal, provincial and municipal resources.
On average, different levels of government spend between $ 15,000 and $ 20,000 on processing each asylum claimant according to Michael MacDonald, Director General of Operations of the Citizenship and Immigration department.
Illegal border crossers are eligible to obtain work permits and also have access to Canadian healthcare, public schools and even social assistance. As for the length of time they need support,
Conservative Member of Parliament Michelle Rempel, pointed out that the “Immigration and Refugee Board is already reporting 11-year wait times for refugee hearings and is experiencing an alarming shortage of immigration judges.”
What is more, only a small percentage of unsuccessful refugee claimants are being returned to their countries of citizenship.
If it is going to take more than 10 years to get a hearing and even then only some will be returned home, for all intents and purposes, these people are permanent residents being supported by the public purse.
So Canadian taxpayers could end up paying heavily for illegal immigration over many years. Considering the potential scale of the influx, Canadians are increasingly critical of Trudeau’s position.
Many migrants from the U.S. have been arriving in Quebec. That province has appealed for help from other provinces. While the previous Ontario provincial government agreed to take some refugee claiman