Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer made a campaign commitment on Wednesday to put an end to illegal immigration into Canada along our border with the United States.
According to official statistics by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 45,517 illegal border crossers have entered Canada since February 2017.
Illegal entry into the country has continued without hindrance since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s infamous “Welcome to Canada” tweet on January 28, 2017. The Liberals have since done very little to curb the flow of illegal immigrants which has been growing steadily each year.
In 2017, a total of 18,060 illegal border crossers entered into Canada, whereas in 2018 a whopping 20,599 were allowed entry illegally.
Scheer made the announcement while at a campaign stop along Roxham Road in Lacolle, Quebec. Roxham Road is one of the most popular destinations for illegal immigrants seeking to get into the country and is the spot where most of the border crossings take place.
In 2018, figures showed that nearly 96 per cent of all illegal border crossings took place at that location.
“For Canadians to have faith in the immigration system, the rules have to be followed and the laws have to be enforced. As prime minister, that’s exactly what I will do,” said Scheer.
Scheer claimed he intends to refocus Canada’s immigration system towards economic aspects and refugees most in need of asylum. He also promised his party would amend the Safe Third Country Agreement, which regulates asylum claims made between Canada and the United States.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, there is a backlog of approximately 18,000 people waiting to be deported from Canada, some of which are illegal border crossers.
