The U.S.-Canadian border is getting more dangerous
More and more migrants are trying to get into Canada from the U.S., but it often turns out to be a failure: deportation becomes a general practice
Dozens of migrants arrive at Rocksham Road every day by bus from New York City, hoping to successfully make their way to Canada.
Despite strict new border regulations between Canada and the U.S., migrants are still trying to cross the border in Roxham. People put themselves at risk of never being granted asylum in Canada again because there is a risk of deportation back to the U.S. The reason is the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA).
Immigration experts have condemned new rules, saying they will encourage people to go underground, take risks and press border services who are to monitor and rescue migrants trying to cross the nearly 9,000 km long Canadian border. In the past couple of months, two men died trying crossing the border into Canada.
Previously, the agreement meant that Washington and Ottawa could only return asylum seekers who crossed the border at official crossing points. The new version extends the STCA to the entire land border between the US and Canada. It also closes one of the most popular routes for illegal migrants, the Roxham Road from the U.S. state of New York to Quebec, Canada.
At midnight Saturday, as the U.S.-Canada deal went into effect, a warning sign appeared at the border: "Stop. Do not cross the road. It is illegal to enter Canada from here. You will be arrested and possibly returned to the United States. Refugee applicants must seek protection in the first safe country they arrive in."
"To address irregular migration, we are expanding the Safe Third Country Agreement to apply not only at designated ports of entry, but across the entire land border, including internal waterways, ensuring fairness and more orderly migration between our two countries," the Canadian prime minister's office reported.
We don't know by now what is going to happen to those who have already crossed the border, but one thing is clear now: the U.S.-Canadian border crisis has not yet been resolved, and thousands of people are putting themselves at risk in the hope of a better life.
