94 Roxham Road asylum seekers are in Newfoundland, with scarce federal aid: Minister
ST. JOHN’S, NL — A Newfoundland and Labrador lawyer says the 94 asylum seekers who arrived in the province through an irregular border crossing into Quebec face huge hurdles, including a lack of federal employees to assist them.
Michele Grant said there are no federal immigration officers working in the county who can help the asylum seekers who are diverted from the Roxham Road intersection to St. John’s.
She said in an interview that the lack of workers will make the difficult process of obtaining a legal right to stay in Canada all the more challenging.
Gerry Byrne, Newfoundland and Labrador’s immigration minister, said the federal government needs to have immigration officials in the province who can “pick up the damn phone.”
He said in an interview that the province is providing legal services to the asylum seekers, hoping they can stay and build a life in Canada’s easternmost province.
An email from his department says the asylum seekers arrived on commercial flights funded by Ottawa after the province announced last winter its willingness to take in some asylum seekers who made the crossing to Quebec.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2023.
