Mr. Speaker, Roxham Road is not an official port of entry. The closest port of entry is Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. When asylum seekers cross the border at Roxham Road they are advised by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that they are entering Canada illegally and are subject to arrest. When the asylum seeker expresses their intent to continue and make a refugee claim, they are arrested and processed by the RCMP and subsequently transferred to the CBSA for the processing of the refugee claim. Since the border restrictions under the Quarantine Act ended in 2021, there has been an increase of refugee claimants entering Canada between the POEs. Asylum seekers are once again accessing the route to Canada at Roxham Road.
The Government of Canada has been in continuous contact with the United States on issues related to our shared border, including our desire to modernize the safe third country agreement. Canada continues to work towards the modernization of our immigration and refugee protection system to support economic recovery, national security and public safety priorities while offering asylum to those in need of protection.