Canada and the United States have important border issues
Posted November 15, 2024
In the lead up to his first presidency Donald Trump was making declarations (“We’re going to build a wall!”) about how he was going to stop the influx of asylum seekers on the border with Mexico.
Prime Minister Trudeau couldn’t restrain himself, tweeting, “Regardless of who you are or where you come from, there’s always a place for you in Canada.” This bit of virtue-showing was out of touch with Canada’s long-standing selective immigration policy. And it was not a good way to begin a working relationship with Trump.
Ultimately, it led to the uncontrolled arrivals of migrants to Canada at unofficial border crossings, most notably Roxham Road in Quebec. There has for many years been an agreement with the United States that asylum seekers arriving at an official border crossing may be sent back to pursue their claim in the country they are trying to leave.
Fortunately, the Liberals were able to develop an agreement with the Biden administration to extend that agreement to unofficial crossings.
With the prospect of another Trump presidency in January, they are maintaining their track record of unwise pronouncements.
The border with Mexico has been a long-term issue for the Americans. Under the eight-year Obama administration, the average number of crossings was brought down to less than 50,000 per month. Achieving that required thousands of officers trying to prevent them.
Trump’s wall was only partly built and didn’t work. Arrivals briefly spiked in the Trump years. Under Biden the monthly crossings averaged more than 150,000, but it should be noted that monthly totals before March 2020 included apprehensions only.
The northern border has also been a problem for the Americans. On November 7, CBS reported that Illegal crossings have skyrocketed, with roughly 19,000 people arrested in fiscal year 2024. That is about the same amount as the last 17 years combined.
Far more terror suspects have been encountered on the Americans’ northern border than in the south.
This time, Trump has promised to expel as many as 11 million undocumented migrants already in the United States. Logistically this would require enormous resources, including thousands of lawyers, and would take decades to accomplish. But the threat will cause many to look for other options.
On November 9th Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland sought to address fears that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants would send a wave of migrants north.
RCMP officials have said they’ve been preparing for months for the possibility of increased migrant traffic at the border as the undocumented flee the United States.
In an interview with CBC’s The House, Freeland said her message is that “Canada controls our borders. Every Canadian has the absolute right to expect that our country chooses who comes here and who doesn’t.”
It isn’t going to be easy. More than a few of the 11 million migrants being threatened by Trump will try Canada. Is she expecting them all to line up politely at official border crossings?
The Americans have a partial wall and 17,000 border control agents unsuccessfully policing their 6,000 mile (9,650 km) border with Mexico. The world’s longest undefended border is 16,000 kilometers. The RCMP could be quickly overwhelmed.
Canada’s most important international relationship is with the United States. Regardless of differing political orientations, it is the job of the prime minister and cabinet to seek effective working relationships on many matters, trade and borders being the most important.
Having the RCMP develop a plan to manage a surge in northward border traffic is a reasonable choice. Making an announcement about it as if there is no need to cooperate with the United States was unwise.
On November 11, Trump revealed that Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as “border czar” in his incoming administration.
Homan is a tough-talking former Border Patrol agent who worked his way up to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017 and 2018 as the acting director.
AP reports that: “Bringing him on shows the lengths that the Trump administration is likely to go to carry out the hardline immigration pledges that were a hallmark of the campaign.”
As noted above, the Americans’ northern border has been a big issue for them. Homan told a nearby radio station that “The problem with the northern border is a huge national security issue.”
Canada would do well to be sensitive to their concerns and avoid surprising American counterparts with their announcements.
Deputy Prime Minister Freeland must reach out to Homan and seek mutual understandings about how the border will be managed.
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