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Asylum seekers can travel from New York City to parts of the country near the US border with Canada – and later try to cross on Roxham Road – with bus tickets paid for by American authorities.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office said it does not fund tickets for Roxham Road, and does not help people cross the Canada-US border. But those who want to go to Plattsburgh, NY, – which is near the Canadian border – can do it by bus.
“Our goal is to help asylum seekers who want to move to another location,” Kate Smart, a spokeswoman for New York City, told Radio-Canada.
For months, New York City has been facing an “unprecedented crisis,” he said.
New York’s newly opened migrant aid center is overwhelmed. Every week, several Republican states send hundreds of people to the northeast after arriving from Mexico.
The mayor made a decision “to help [these people] get to your final destination, even if it’s not New York,” Smart said.
“A lot of people who come here by bus don’t want to or don’t plan to go to New York, or don’t want to stay here long-term.”
Community organizations “also help issue tickets for people who want to go elsewhere,” he said.
The city said it would offer financial assistance to those trying to go elsewhere. For many, that somewhere is the Canadian border.
Tickets to Plattsburgh
The Plattsburgh terminal is about 30 minutes from the border. Taxi drivers stood up to drive the migrants on other roads.
“We don’t think of Plattsburgh as any different than any other city,” Adams’ team said. When asked if he knew that the migrants then went to Canada, he did not answer Radio-Canada.
However, the American newspaper, New York Post, went to Plattsburgh and met the migrants whose transport tickets were paid for by the American authorities.
Roxham Road has seen record traffic – last year, more than 39,000 people used the route to enter Canada.
Agreement 3rd Country Aman complicates entry
The Safe Third Country Agreement, signed in 2002 between Canada and the United States, means that migrants must submit an asylum application in the first of the two countries they enter and cannot make a second attempt at an official border crossing.
But the agreement does not regulate irregular entry points, such as Roxham Road. Once in Canada, people have the right to claim refugee status.
This loophole has been a topic of discussion between Canadian and American authorities for years. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has said it wants to modernize the law, but discussions are slow.
Quebec Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette called on Ottawa to act quickly: “There is an emergency.”
New York’s problem of paying bus tickets in the north “shows the importance of solving the Roxham Road problem and this agreement,” Fréchette told reporters.
“We are waiting for these negotiations to be completed so that the agreement will apply across all borders.”
Quebec invests in community groups
In December, nearly 4,700 people entered Canada via Roxham Road.
According to Radio-Canada, the flow does not stop despite the cold and difficult climate. The rise is expected to continue this year. Days with more than 200 people arriving on Roxham Road are becoming more frequent, according to police sources.
Many people from foreign countries are trying to start a new life in Quebec. According to the province, 60,000 asylum seekers are expected to enter Quebec in 2022 – about twice as many as before the pandemic.
Community groups working with migrants are calling on the government to help them as resources to accommodate new arrivals dwindle.
Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette said the government has heard calls for help and will invest $3.5 million in an emergency fund to help.
The money will go to 12 organizations in Montreal, Laval, Montérégie and Quebec City — areas that have seen a greater influx of immigrants and newcomers, Fréchette said.
Community groups will use the money to help find shelter, clothing and food. Fréchette says the sooner newcomers can settle in, the better for everyone.
Claude Pinard, president of Centraide Montréal, said the money came at the right time, although the amount is less impressive if it is distributed to each organization.
“You ask me about 3.5, it’s enough. It’s probably not enough but it’s a very good start to provide a good welcome to people who are trying to build a new life,” he said.
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