Ottawa’s asylum plan will be tested
Border security, processing, police in place as Salvadorans expected to cross into Canada illegally
OTTAWA — The federal government’s contingency plans for a new surge of asylum seekers at the border this winter could be put to the test with the pending U.S. decision on the fate of as many as 200,000 Salvadorans.
The Trump administration is on the cusp of announcing whether it will renew the temporary protected status (TPS) that’s allowed Salvadorans to live in the United States without fear of deportation since 2001.
Their status expires in March, and with the U.S. ending what’s known as the TPS program for thousands of nationals from other countries in recent months, it’s likely Salvadorans are next.
The U.S. has argued the temporary nature of the program has been abused, and the conditions — like natural disasters or conflict — that had made it unsafe for people to return to certain countries have changed.
But that’s left thousands of people facing deportation to countries they haven’t lived in for years.
When asked what he’d do if he lost his TPS status, Salvadoran Carlos Reyes, 40, who lives in Long Island, N.Y., told Newsday that Canada was an option.
“One thing I know is I’m going to lose my job, and if I don’t have a job, what can I do? I don’t want to go there [to El Salvador] but I won’t be able to stay here,” he told the American newspaper this week.
“... There’s Canada, but I don’t know anything about Canada. My life and everything is here.”
Salvadorans represent the largest population covered by the temporary protected status program and the potential for them and other Central Americans to come to Canada was flagged in briefing notes by Canadian diplomats in the U.S. earlier this year, following a surge of Haitian asylum seekers showing up at the border.
All people entering Canada in such a manner are arrested and held until a hearing is held. Most are returned.
The Haitians began arriving even before a final decision had been made on their temporary status and the surge — upwards of 200 people a day in the summer months — saw the Liberal government scramble to mount a response.
Temporary shelters were set up at the Quebec-New York border and dozens of RCMP, border and immigration officials were dispatched to the area to manage the situation.
At the same time, plans were drawn up for a longer-term response to the situation should another major surge materialize.
Winterized trailers were purchased and are now in use at the Lacolle, Que., crossing. A contingency plan — the details of which have not been made public — remains at the ready.