A town official says that Plattsburgh, New York, could become a “last stop.
On Saturday, the decision to stop most migrants from coming to Canada via Roxham Road caused anger in New York state, while the Quebec government was happy about it.
For years, migrants stopped in Plattsburgh, N.Y., on their way to Roxham Road, an unofficial border crossing south of Montreal that tens of thousands of people used to get into Canada and ask for asylum.
The Canadian and U.S. governments announced on Friday that they had renegotiated the Safe Third Country Agreement. This means that they can no longer use Roxham Road to get into Canada and ask for asylum. If migrants cross into the U.S., they are now more likely to be sent back home.
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There are some exceptions in the new agreement for people who want to claim asylum, such as unaccompanied minors, family members, people with documents, and people who it is in the “public interest” to accept.
Michael Cashman, who is in charge of the town of Plattsburgh, said he was worried that the town would not be able to handle a large number of people who arrive in the town only to find out that they can no longer get into Canada.
“For some, Plattsburgh could be their last stop if they get there and realize they can’t go any further,” he said.
The decision to stop migrants from entering Canada at Roxham Road was made Friday afternoon and went into effect at midnight, which surprised Cashman and other officials in upstate New York.
“Billy Jones, who represents the area in the New York state legislature, said, “Something definitely needed to be done, but to come out at noon and say it will be shut down at midnight? Don’t be silly.”
Jones and Cashman both went to Roxham Road on Saturday to talk about how worried they were about the situation. They said they need help from the U.S. government to deal with the influx of migrants, which Cashman called a “humanitarian crisis.”
Early Saturday morning, buses full of people who wanted to get to Canada and were carrying their belongings arrived in Plattsburgh. They were told that if they made it across the border, they would probably be sent back to the U.S. They can’t claim asylum anymore because they crossed from the U.S., which is a safe country according to the agreement.
Some of them decided to try their luck and cross anyway, while others waited at a gas station, unsure of what to do next.
Quebec government applauds decisio
On the other side of the border, Premier of Quebec Francois Legault praised the decision. He has repeatedly asked the federal government to close the border crossing at Roxham Road.
“I’m very happy,” Legault said. “I think that’s what we wanted. I think we put enough pressure on the federal government, and I want to thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government. I’d also like to thank Vice President Joe Biden.”
Christine Fréchette, who is in charge of immigration in Quebec, said she was glad that Quebec would no longer have to deal with the flow of people coming in from Roxham Road.
Fréchette said that in the past year, almost 50,000 people came into Quebec through the irregular crossing, and community groups and government agencies were struggling to help and care for all of them.
“We are very happy with the renegotiation of the Safe Third Country Agreement,” she said. “Thousands of people crossing Roxham Road were putting a lot of pressure on Quebec.”
As part of the renegotiation, Canada will legally take in 15,000 more migrants, but Fréchette said she hoped none of these people would go to Quebec.
She said that Quebec had already done more than its fair share. “We’ve taken in the vast majority of asylum seekers who came in illegally, so we’re asking other provinces to take in these 15,000 more people.”