Latest news with #MarioBellissimo
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants is sending a surge of refugees to Canada
As fears of refugee deportation mount in the United States, a surge of asylum seekers is turning to Canada — only to find a border that is getting increasingly hard to cross. Article content The number of refugee seekers processed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shot up by 87 per cent between January and April. Article content Article content In April, 494 ineligible refugee claimants from the U.S. were turned back at the Canadian border under the Safe Third Country Agreement, which bars most people from seeking asylum in Canada at the border. That's up from 280 in January — a 76 per cent increase. Article content Article content Growing refugee traffic at the Canadian border this year has emerged amid a looming clampdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. that experts say could trigger a flood of asylum seekers to Canada. Article content Article content A controversial U.S. move in late March that paused protected legal status for refugees from Colombia, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) is likely behind the spike, say immigration lawyers and researchers. Article content 'That is what we would see as a major indicator towards potential migration flows northbound,' said Dan Anson, director general of intelligence and investigations for the CBSA. 'Those… main groups… are likely going to be targets of potential enforcement and removal operations (in the U.S.)' Article content Toronto immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo said his office has seen around a 200-per-cent jump in inquiries in the past week. Article content 'Any time you have a dramatic announcement, it does prompt individuals to move,' he said. Article content Article content On Tuesday, the federal government responded to 'rising migration' concerns with new measures it says will make the country's immigration and asylum systems 'more responsive to new and developing pressures.' Article content Among those steps will be new ineligibility rules to 'protect the asylum system against sudden increases.' Article content The CHNV parole program in the U.S. initially offered 'parole' to certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to stay in the U.S. for two years. The Trump administration paused those protections on March 25, 2025. Article content The following month, asylum claims processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) rose to 4,560, up from 2,940.
National Post
4 days ago
- General
- National Post
U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants is sending a surge of refugees to Canada
As fears of refugee deportation mount in the United States, a surge of asylum seekers is turning to Canada — only to find a border that is getting increasingly hard to cross. Article content The number of refugee seekers processed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shot up by 87 per cent between January and April. Article content In April, 494 ineligible refugee claimants from the U.S. were turned back at the Canadian border under the Safe Third Country Agreement, which bars most people from seeking asylum in Canada at the border. That's up from 280 in January — a 76 per cent increase. Article content Article content Growing refugee traffic at the Canadian border this year has emerged amid a looming clampdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. that experts say could trigger a flood of asylum seekers to Canada. Article content Article content A controversial U.S. move in late March that paused protected legal status for refugees from Colombia, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) is likely behind the spike, say immigration lawyers and researchers. Article content 'That is what we would see as a major indicator towards potential migration flows northbound,' said Dan Anson, director general of intelligence and investigations for the CBSA. 'Those… main groups… are likely going to be targets of potential enforcement and removal operations (in the U.S.)' Article content Toronto immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo said his office has seen around a 200-per-cent jump in inquiries in the past week. Article content 'Any time you have a dramatic announcement, it does prompt individuals to move,' he said. Article content On Tuesday, the federal government responded to 'rising migration' concerns with new measures it says will make the country's immigration and asylum systems 'more responsive to new and developing pressures.' Article content Article content Among those steps will be new ineligibility rules to 'protect the asylum system against sudden increases.' Article content The CHNV parole program in the U.S. initially offered 'parole' to certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to stay in the U.S. for two years. The Trump administration paused those protections on March 25, 2025. Article content The following month, asylum claims processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) rose to 4,560, up from 2,940. Article content A federal judge blocked Trump's order in April. Article content CBSA data released to the Investigative Journalism Bureau on Tuesday shows a drop in refugee removals at the border in May following that court order.
