Canada is struggling to cope with the consequences of the Trudeau government’s decision to lift the visa restrictions on Mexican visitors, as asylum claims jump ten-fold in just two years.
Over 3,300 asylum claims were made in 2018, compared to just 260 in 2016, before the Trudeau Liberals lifted the visa requirement.
As asylum claims increased to historic levels, the government says they are “closely monitoring” the situation.
Canada is “closely monitoring migration trends from Mexico, including asylum claims,” said Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen’s press secretary.
True North’s Candice Malcolm and Graeme Gordon were among the first in Canada to cover this unfolding situation.
In January, they reported on the massive increase in Mexican asylum claims in the first 10 months on 2018 — over 1000 more claims were filed in the last two months.
One expert suggests this decision was done solely for political reasons.
“I would bet that any report by the CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) or CIC (the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, now know as Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada or IRCC) that was requested by the government at that time would have warned of a significant increase in refugees claims,” immigration lawyer Guidy Mamann told True North.
Despite the government’s claims that they prepared for and monitored the asylum claims, critics aren’t buying it.
“There was no formal plan put in place with the Mexican government,” said Conservative MP and Immigration critic Michelle Rempel, suggesting the government did not prepare for the spike in Mexican asylum claims.
True North reported in April that now half of the migrants crossing into the US from Canada illegally were Mexican citizens
Asylum claims in 2019 are only expected to increase as the government has yet to lay out any concrete plans to prevent individuals from taking advantage of Canada’s immigration system.
