A sign advising people that entry into Canada via Roxham Road is illegal is seen on the Canada-U.S. border in Hemmingford, Que., on March 25, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)
Quebec Premier François Legault says the closing of the illegal border crossing at Roxham Road is a “great victory for Quebec.”
Legault commented in French on social media March 24 that “Roxham Road will finally be closed.” He thanked the entire Quebec government team, which he said “put a lot of pressure on the federal government.”
On March 25 at 12:01 a.m. EDT, the small, unofficial crossing between Quebec and New York state was closed as a result of new rules negotiated between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden during Biden’s March 23–24 visit to Canada. The crossing saw most of the over 39,000 illegal arrivals who entered Quebec last year alone, according to Legault.
Changes were made to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), a bilateral treaty that came into effect in 2004. It requires asylum-seekers to make their refugee claim in the first country they land in, either Canada or the United States, and previously only made it illegal to make a claim at official border crossings. This left a loophole for migrants at any place that was not an official crossing along the nearly 9,000-kilometre border between the two countries.
Under an extension to the treaty, it is now illegal, with certain exceptions, to use any point along the shared border to make a refugee claim. The Quebec crossing had a sign installed on March 24 that was uncovered at midnight, when the new rules officially took affect, warning that it is illegal to enter Canada through Roxham Road.
The sign says: “You will be arrested and may be returned to the United States. Refugee claimants must request protection in the first safe country they arrive in.”
Roxham Road is a 30-minute taxi ride from the Plattsburgh, New York, bus station.
The extension to the STCA will also allow 15,000 migrants to enter the Canada from the Western Hemisphere on a “humanitarian basis.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau applauds as his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden before Biden addresses the Canadian Parliament, in Ottawa on Mach 24, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AFP via Getty Images)
The premier singled out three of his ministers in his tweet—French Language Minister Jean-F. Roberge, International Relations Minister Martine Biron, and Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette—stating he was “proud” of them. “I also want to salute the work of the ministers of the Trudeau government,” he said.
“I especially want to thank the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden,” he added.
Trudeau and Biden made the joint announcement at a bilateral meeting in Ottawa on March 24 that migrants at illegal border crossings will now be turned back.
“The United States and Canada will work together to discourage unlawful border crossings and fully implement the updated ‘Safe Third Country’ agreement,” Biden told members of Parliament.
Trudeau said at the joint press conference: “Canada and U.S. will continue to work together as partners to keep our people safe. Keeping people safe also includes keeping asylum-seekers safe, keeping our borders secure, and keeping our immigration system strong. Both of our countries believe in safe, fair, and orderly migration, refugee protection, and border security.”
He added: “This is why we will now apply the Safe Third Country Agreement to asylum-seekers between official points of entry. After midnight tonight, police and border officers will enforce the agreement and return irregular border crossers to the closest port of entry with the United States.”
The Canadian Press and Jeff Louderback contributed to this report.
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