Quebec border sees asylum claims double between March and April

Asylum claims have surged at a Quebec border crossing in April, doubling from the previous month as the Trump administration continues its efforts to strip legal protections from hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States. The Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry, located south of Montreal, saw a total of 2,733 asylum claims last month, up from 1,356 claims in March and 755 in February.

This significant increase in asylum claims at the Quebec border crossing is a fourfold jump from the same month last year when there were 670 claims. While refugee claims across Canada have generally declined since last year, the trend at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing tells a different story.

In response to this situation, the Canada Border Services Agency has allocated additional resources to ensure safe and secure border management. This includes leasing a new space at the border crossing to serve as a processing center. The rise in asylum claims at the Quebec border crossing coincides with President Trump’s efforts to revoke temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Haitians living in the U.S.

Abdulla Daoud, the executive director of the Montreal-based Refugee Centre, highlighted that many asylum seekers entering at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle are from Haiti, Venezuela, and Colombia. Despite the increase in asylum claims, Daoud emphasized that the current situation is far from the “massive influx of immigrants” that was initially feared after Trump’s re-election.

It is important to note that while asylum claims at the Quebec border crossing have increased, the overall number of asylum claims in Canada has actually decreased this year. The Canada Border Services Agency has processed about 12,500 asylum claims so far in 2025, compared to roughly 25,500 by the same time last year, marking a decline of nearly 50 percent.

Under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement, individuals must claim asylum in the first country they reach, which means they cannot leave the U.S. to seek refugee status in Canada. As a result, some asylum seekers are found ineligible under this agreement and are returned to the U.S. by the border agency.

The situation today differs significantly from previous years when a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement allowed for a steady stream of asylum seekers to enter Canada via an unofficial border crossing along Roxham Road in Quebec. However, this loophole was closed in 2023, making such influxes less likely.

Many of the individuals arriving at the Quebec border crossing have family ties in Canada, influencing their decision to seek asylum in the country. The Trump administration’s move to withdraw temporary protected status has faced legal challenges, with a federal judge ordering a pause on plans to strip legal protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.

In response to the increased number of inadmissible individuals, the Canadian border agency has stepped up removals. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, over 16,000 people were removed from Canada, a significant increase from the previous year. The agency continues to monitor and manage the influx of asylum seekers at the Quebec border crossing while ensuring the safety and security of border operations.