The Canadian government announced new measures Monday to deal with the steady stream of asylum seekers who are crossing the border illegally into Canada from the United States, including an outreach mission in Nigeria.
An estimated 2,500 people crossed in April. The majority are from Nigeria.
The government also issued a warning.
“Coming across the border in a way that seeks to circumvent our procedures is no free ticket to Canada,” said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, who was joined at a press conference in Montreal by Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.
“All Canadian laws are and will continue to be enforced and all of our international obligations are and will continue to be respected,” he added.
The announcement comes at a time of mounting pressure from the federal Conservatives, Quebec’s Liberal government and Toronto Mayor John Tory.
The government announced that Hussen will be travelling to Nigeria this month for discussions with officials, and said that three Canadian officials have already been sent to Lagos to work with American visa officials.
In the 2018 federal budget, the federal government pledged $173.2 million for border security, which will be used, in part, to hire new Immigration and Refugee Board officials to speed up the wait times for an asylum hearing.
