With the current flow of irregular crossings, a lot of them are getting visas to the United States and then they're coming in. I think it's in the 30% rate who are currently being accepted as refugees.
You have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of undocumented workers and people without proper status in the U.S. At any time, if the U.S. changes its policy, they could be potential refugees who could just come over the border. That is the issue that I'm more concerned about. The others are coming in and it's not as big of a number as people think. However, that's the alarming factor. Prior to this current regime, that was probably not something Canadians were worried about. Currently it's a realistic fear, and that's why I'm asking how we can curb it.
I'll go on to Ms. Macklin.
I want to commend you on your comments about the empirical data of a refugee versus an economic immigrant. It is so true. If you look even historically, whether it's Jews who left during the Holocaust, they've become some of the most successful immigrants in the United States and Canada.
I look at some of my parents' friends from India, who were India and Pakistan partition refugees. Some of the wealthiest and most industrious and entrepreneurial people in India and around the world who came out of that were refugees. They started from nothing.
I commend you. It would be very helpful if you had some empirical data to show us about Canadian refugees who have settled and how well they've done.
I recall somebody doing it on the boat people who came to Halifax in the late eighties—I believe 1988—and they studied how well they did. I don't know how many were millionaires, how many had employed others, but if you have more empirical data that you might be privy to, I'd be greatly appreciative.