Number of asylum seekers spike at border crossing into Canada as Trump administration ramps up removal of temporary migrants from U.S.

The Canadian border agency says it has contingency plans in place to respond to a potential new wave of refugee claimants from the U.S., after a recent spike of migrants seeking asylum at an official land port of entry in Quebec.

 

While it’s too early to say if the number will keep growing, the Canadian Border Services Agency said Canada is prepared as the Trump administration ramps up removal of temporary migrants from the U.S.

 

“The CBSA has conducted assessments at ports of entry across the country and has plans to effectively handle increased volumes of asylum claims,” the agency said in an email on Thursday. “The CBSA’s mitigation plans follow a tiered approach that involves an escalating series of responses.”

 

Although Quebec has processed 5,287 asylum applications this year — a 53 per cent decline from the 11,154 filed by the same date in 2024 — the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry has reported a significant rise in claims in recent days.

From April 1 to 6, the office at the Quebec-New York border already processed 557 asylum seekers, almost the same number for the entirety of January — following a steady upswing of 755 cases in February and 1,356 in March, the border agency’s data shows.

 

Depending on the size of the inflow, officials said they can deploy personnel where they are most needed, upgrade infrastructure such as installing portable washrooms, and secure additional IT equipment and supplies to respond to the needs.

 

Leased space near Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle will be used as a processing centre for refugee claimants, while trailers will be rented for the Stanstead port of entry, near Highway 55 at the Quebec-Vermont border, to serve as waiting rooms during processing.

 

The Trump administration has already ordered the revocation of temporary protection status of some 600,000 Venezuelans and 520,000 Haitians so far. This week, about 900,000 migrants granted temporary legal stay in the U.S. under a Biden-era measure called “parole” were notified by the Department of Homeland Security to “self deport,” according to the Associated Press. On Friday, the New York Times reported Trump is ending the protection of more than 100,000 Afghans and Cameroonians by early May.

 

The border agency said the top 10 countries of origin of asylum claimants via south of the land border are Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Pakistan, the U.S., Romania, India, Afghanistan, Turkey and Chile.

 

On the campaign trail on Thursday, Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney announced that his government, if re-elected, would strengthen border security by training 1,000 new border officers and invest in new equipment like scanners and drones. But the focus of his announcement is on the crackdown on drugs, illegal guns and smuggling of stolen vehicles.

 

“We will disrupt and dismantle criminal networks, bolster the justice system, and build a stronger and safer Canada for everyone,” said Carney.

 

In response to the previous surge in irregular migration from the U.S. at unguarded land borders, Ottawa and Washington expanded the Safe Third Country Agreement in March 2023. The bilateral pact now bans would-be refugee claimants from entry in either country if they first arrive in the other, regardless of whether they cross at an official port of entry or not — unless they meet one of the exceptions such as having families in the country.

 

Since the change, the number of irregular migrants intercepted by the RCMP dropped significantly, from 14,663 in 2023 to 1,302 last year. For the first two months of 2025, 369 people were reported.

 

CBSA said that, as of April 6 this year, it has processed 56 per cent fewer asylum claims compared to the same period in 2024, when there were 19,815 cases. Of the 8,655 asylum applications processed so far, 5,287 were from Quebec, followed by 2,775 in Ontario, 372 in B.C., 135 in Alberta, 50 in Manitoba, and 22 in New Brunswick.

 

Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, those who seek asylum at a port of entry are sent back to the U.S. if they do not meet one of the exception criteria. The border agency said officials have removed 641 people to the U.S. from between Jan. 1 and April 4 for ineligibility, compared to 2,447 for the entire 2024.

 

However, Canada received a total of 19,415 claims in January and February alone, including those who sought asylum after they had been admitted in the country. The number of asylum claims pending a decision by the refugee board has continued to rise, to 279,647 as of February from 174,672 a year ago.

The Star reached out to both the Liberals and Conservatives, but neither would say how they are going to deal with another wave of refugee claimants from the U.S. and address the ballooning asylum backlog.

 

The CBSA said Canadian authorities including provinces and local police forces work closely with their American counterparts at the border. “This collaboration is vital for early detection of potential mass migration movements and for continued border security,” said a CBSA spokesperson.

 

The Conservative Party did refer the Star to comments made by leader Pierre Poilievre during a campaign stop in Edmonton recently, where he blamed the Liberals for what he called a “broken” immigration system.

 

“Obviously, if someone is a true refugee who is truly endangered abroad and they come in under the proper rules, then they should be allowed to stay,” Poilievre said. “But if they’re a fraudster, they will have to go.”

 

 

 

 

 

This article was first reported by The Star