Bridges Not Borders

by Denis Bouchard  (December 2024)

Since the dramatic closure of Roxham Road at midnight on March 24, 2023, the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) now applies to the entire U.S.-Canada border. Since then, our group Bridges not Borders has remained active (website, cross-border meetings, media), but our activities have diminished with the closure of Roxham. How have these changes affected those of us who live next to the border?

Firstly, irregular entries at Roxham Rd. have ceased completely. The majority of people seeking asylum in Canada at the land border now go to the official ports of entry. About a third are refused entry and sent back to the US.

Another change is that Ontario now receives more asylum seekers than Quebec (77,405 vs. 49,635). The number of asylum seekers in British Columbia and Alberta has also increased significantly (over 7,000 in each case). As a result, Quebec no longer receives a disproportionate share of asylum seekers.

There are still people who cross elsewhere than at official ports of entry. But the number of interceptions at the border is very low compared to the thousands of people who used to enter at Roxham. From January to October 2024, only 393 people were intercepted by the RCMP in Quebec. British Columbia saw a higher number of interceptions, at 449.

The crossing of migrants through the woods personally affects many of us who live near the border. People find clothes and backpacks on their property. These personal objects make us feel the vulnerability of the person who came through. We’re no longer dealing with a statistic, but with a person in distress. And what do we do if we come across someone in disarray? Do we have the right to help them? What do we tell our children if they witness a couple and their children being arrested under our windows, handcuffed and shoved into a police vehicle?

The RCMP asks us to contact them if we see a stranger walking down the road. But this quickly leads to excesses. One resident was arrested while walking on Covey Hill with two members of her family. Someone had reported them to the police! People from Mexico and Guatemala working in a Covey Hill operation are regularly intercepted and questioned by the RCMP. More personal experiences from our members will be featured on our website shortly (http://www.bridgesnotborders.ca/blog).

Some people are afraid of meeting strangers on their property. People who risk their lives to come to Canada are not a threat. From 2017 to 2023, members of Bridges not Borders met hundreds of migrants. These people are looking for safety, not confrontation. In fact, there have been no reports of assaults by migrants along the border. In recent years, however, several people have died trying to cross the border. With winter approaching, the risks increase. We’re not afraid of them, but for them.

Donald Trump’s election also affects the border. We fear that his hateful rhetoric and policies towards migrants will have a negative effect on politics and attitudes in Canada. Will our politicians start escalating their criticism of migrants?

Our colleagues in the U.S. are worried about Trump’s deportation plans. Families, communities and businesses could be torn apart. Some 4 million American children live in families where one or both parents are undocumented. What will happen to them?

The refugee crisis is global, and involves people fleeing violence, natural disasters and war. As Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, pointed out in a phone call to Trump, the solution “is not to close borders, but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.” She argued that embargoes and sanctions against poor countries have a direct impact on citizens and fuel mass migration. We need to tackle the root causes of migration. We are fortunate to live in a rich and secure country: we need to invest in development programs to give others the same chance. It’s much cheaper than militarizing the border, and far more effective and humanitarian.

At Bridges not Borders, we hope that solutions along these lines will be adopted, and that we won’t once again have despairing and helpless people at our border.