The foolish immigration policies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals and their NDP backers have burdened Canada’s health-care system, inflated housing costs and are now starting to annoy Washington.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Diane Francis: Trudeau's open immigration policies are becoming a problem for Americans Back to video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

America’s immigration problems at its southern border are nightmarish by comparison, but some members of Congress have also voiced concerns that their northern border with Canada has become a backdoor entry into the United States for increasing numbers of illegal migrants and drugs.

Over two dozen Republicans formed a northern border security caucus earlier this year, which intends to identify and quantify the problem at the U.S.-Canadian border. In recent years, the surge in refugee claimants from the U.S. into Canada, via Roxham Road (closed in September) in rural Quebec, has been the biggest bilateral immigration issue and led to a new asylum pact with the U.S.

“What’s gotten less attention is the exponential surge in migration going the other way,” wrote Alexander Panetta, the CBC’s Washington correspondent. The northern border caucus is calling for more border agents and monitoring equipment, all of which will slow border crossings for those headed to the United States from Canada.

Remote areas are most affected. “We are being assaulted because we don’t have a border,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana. “This is a national security problem and the northern tier has their own set of challenges.”

Americans have also complained about visa requirements for Mexicans who wish to enter Canada. Mexicans can fly and enter Canada if they obtain an eTA, or an online visa waiver, which entitles them to stay for up to six months. An unknown number are smuggled into the United States by vehicle.

Fox News reported in February that, “There has been a sharp increase in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters of migrants at the northern border, jumping from 32,376 in FY 2020 to 109,535 in FY 2022. There have also been more recent increases in drug seizures, all while staffing levels have remained roughly static for years. The border, which is 5,525 miles, only has 115 ports of entry.”

According to Rep. Mike Kelly, “Migrants and smugglers are seeking alternative routes into the United States, and the northern border is increasingly their first stop.”

The CBC reported that, “Statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show exponential growth in migration from Canada, with more than 55,000 encounters in the first four months of this fiscal year — almost eight times the 2021 rate.

“These encounters can include anything from an arrest to an asylum claim, and they’ve disproportionately involved citizens of India, Mexico and Canada.”

That’s a small amount compared to the flood of illegals getting across America’s southern border, but as controls along the Mexican border increase, migrants and drug smugglers will increasingly turn to Canada to bypass U.S. immigration controls.

The Americans don’t realize that Ottawa’s immigration system needs a complete overhaul. Toronto and Vancouver are being flooded with newcomers who are overwhelming hospitals and homeless shelters, and driving up real estate prices. Visa-free travel for Mexicans is a loophole that must be closed. And Canada’s loose student visa rules must be tightened immediately.

This growing controversy adds to the list of immigration problems that Trudeau has imposed on Canadians. Young people cannot afford to buy homes, older people cannot get family physicians and Canada has become a backdoor entry into the U.S. for illegal immigrants, criminals and drugs.

Financial Post

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the business news you need to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters financialpost.com.