New policies no longer allow migrants to cross unofficial Canadian borders to seek asylum

© NBC5 new policies close loophole that helped migrants pursue asylum in canada

Friday was a mad dash for asylum seekers to enter Canada before the clock struck midnight, because at 12 a.m., a change to the Safe Third Country Agreement took effect.

The change allows Canadian and U.S. officials to turn asylum seekers back to the country from which they came, if they crossed illegally at places like Roxham Rd. which is an unofficial checkpoint.

Prior to the change, a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement allowed refugees seeking asylum to expedite the immigration process if they crossed illegally and were arrested, that’s no longer the case.

"We will now apply the Safe Third Country Agreement to asylum seekers who cross between official points of entry after midnight tonight," said Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister.

On Saturday in Champlain, New York, Roxham Road was eerily quiet compared to days past after the implementation of the new policies seeing only one group attempt to cross throughout the day.

However, New York Assemblyman Billy Jones has concerns over what the new policies could mean for the North Country.

"I know it’s a federal policy but at that point, it becomes a local issue because now we have all these people with no place to go, we have no policy around that, no resources to take care or help these people," he said.

There is also concern people will continue to show up and attempt to cross.

"There are already people that have plans to come up here, some may not even know that this crossing is closed you know. It's not like a faucet, you can’t just turn it off because people are already in the process of coming," Jones said.

Jones also said that even though the Roxham Road entry may be closed there are still plenty of other options along the border.

He is also asking the federal government to step up and do more because while this may be a step in the right direction it's not a final solution.

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