Big drop in asylum seekers illegally crossing from US into Canada in September

The number of asylum seekers walking across the US border into Canada illegally dropped by more than two-thirds in September from August, government data showed on Monday, as officials seek to dispel myths around the country’s refugee system.

The decline, to 1,881 from 5,712, brings the total number of border-crossers so far this year to 15,102 – the vast majority entering the primarily French-speaking province of Quebec. The influx prompted the creation of a temporary tent encampment in Quebec and sparked a backlash from anti-migrant groups.

September’s drop comes after a push by Canada’s federal government to correct “misinformation” in diaspora communities in the United States that Canada gives all refugee applicants permanent resident status.

Canada received almost 36,000 refugee claims in the first nine months of the year, putting the country on track to have more claims this year than any since 2001.

Preliminary numbers indicate many asylum seekers are succeeding in their refugee claims, which means they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries.

Lawyers who have handled dozens of cases said that decision-makers, previously sceptical of claims from people who spent time in the United States, have been sympathetic toward clients who say they left fearing US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.