Trump election win is ‘worst case scenario’ for America’s liberal neighbor where cops are bracing for impact
Donald Trump’s election victory could trigger a huge influx of illegal migrants into Canada as they flee the US for a state that previously promised to welcome them. T.
Canadian police and migrant aid groups are preparing for the arrival of asylum seekers from the U.S. while dealing with record numbers of refugee applicants. Some compare the expected increase to a ‘worst case scenario’
President-elect Trump came to power this week in part on a promise to carry out the largest deportation in American history.
Canadian police have been preparing for months, Sergeant Charles Poirier of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Thursday.
“In the worst case scenario, people would be crossing in large numbers all over the area,” he said.
Canadian officials are concerned that the election of Donald Trump will push illegal migrants to flee his harsh policies for their country
“Suppose 100 people cross the border every day, then it will be difficult because our agents basically have to travel enormous distances to arrest everyone.”
The police chief said his teams had prepared a “contingency plan” for Trump’s election, warning it could spur illegal and irregular migration to Quebec and Canada.
When Trump first came to power in 2017, thousands of asylum seekers crossed into Canada between formal border crossings to make refugee claims — the vast majority on Roxham Road, near the Quebec-New York border.
Roxham Road is no longer an option: Canada and the US have expanded a bilateral agreement so that asylum seekers attempting to cross anywhere along the 6,000-kilometre border, rather than just at formal border crossings, will now be turned back unless they meet a limited meet the exception.
It comes as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a massive overhaul of his immigration policy amid dismal ratings for his Liberal Party in the polls as the country reels from record numbers of migrants.
Nearly 20,000 people filed refugee claims in July, according to data from the Immigration and Refugee Board.
Experts say this figure is the highest monthly total ever and is driven by global displacement.
The number has since fallen to around 16,400 in September but remains historically high. According to the board, more than 250,000 claims are being processed.
Trump came to power on promises to implement the largest deportation policy in American history
Canada is already dealing with an influx of asylum seekers and recently announced plans to reduce the number of immigrants allowed into the country
Protesters protest against Canada regularizing undocumented migrants in Montreal, Quebec
Trudeau revealed that the government will reduce the number of immigrants entering the country for the first time in years.
According to the National Post, Canada is expected to admit 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, up from 485,000 in 2024.
But migrant aid groups warned that closing legal asylum routes would only lead to riskier migration practices.
“If you don’t create legitimate pathways, or if you only create pathways where people have to do the impossible to get safety, you know that unfortunately people will try to do the impossible,” said Abdulla Daoud, director of The Refugee Center in Montreal.
Police are on “high alert,” Poirier said, and are prepared to deploy additional resources to patrol the border.
Depending on what happens, that could mean hundreds of additional officers. It could also lead to more cruisers, chartering buses, building trailers and leasing land.
“All eyes are on the border right now,” Poirier added. “We were on high alert, I can tell you, a few days before the election, and we’ll probably remain so for the next few weeks.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the immigration about-face amid dismal polling for his party
Canadian police said they have been working on a “contingency plan” in case Trump is elected
The FCJ Refugee Center in Toronto already serves dozens of new asylum seekers every week, says founder Loly Rico.
Trump’s election will “have an impact on Canada,” she said. “We will see more and more people crossing the border, showing up in cities and seeking support.”
She worries about what will happen in the winter. In 2022, a family of four froze to death while trying to cross the border near Emerson, Manitoba.
“It will be a challenge for any refugee in the United States to feel like they belong, so they will look to what other countries can offer them protection.”
Immigration Canada “will continue to prepare and anticipate all possible scenarios, any approach will be primarily in the best interests of Canada and all who live here,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s office wrote in a statement .