More than 40 migrants were found inside a truck in what police in Quebec called "deplorable conditions." Three suspects were taken into custody after police intercepted a cube van carrying foreign nationals not far from the US border.
During a court appearance in Sherbrooke, Quebec, on Wednesday, the men were detained after the prosecutor objected to their release. They had been charged with inducing, aiding, or abetting someone to commit an offence under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and for aiding people to enter Canada outside of normal legal standards.
The Canada Border Services Agency said the cube van carrying the migrants was intercepted near Stanstead, Quebec, early Sunday morning. Miguel Begin of the CBSA said the 44 migrants were basically asylum seekers who were crammed into a cube van with little ventilation.
“Not a regular situation at all,” Begin said. “I’ve been with CBSA for 25 years and it's the first time we've seen that kind of illegal entry with so many people.”
Royal Canadian Mounted police said the cube van was intercepted on information about a group of migrants planning to cross the border from the U.S. A police spokesperson said the group included a pregnant woman and young children. Many were dehydrated and visibly distraught; most of them were Haitian nationals. They told officers they had crossed the border on foot and walked for two hours until the truck picked them up.
Refugee advocate and immigration lawyer Frantz Andre said President Donald Trump and his U.S. policies contributed to these kinds of migrations.
“President Trump is executing the threat of mass deportation, and what you see is probably not going to be the last time we see situations like this,” Andre said.
Most of the foreign nationals have been taken to the Border Agency’s refugee processing center for immigration assessments. Meanwhile, the three suspects are set to make another court appearance at the end of August.
