More and more migrants at the border with Canada, Biden in criticism

There are still far fewer than in the south, but there are also more and more illegal border crossings on America’s northern border – in both directions. Should the migration agreement with Canada be renegotiated?

gWhen it comes to the topic of migration and its challenges, the United States generally focuses on the south, toward the US-Mexico border. More than 2.3 million people attempted to travel to America last year. This is one of the reasons why President Joe Biden has just made a reversal towards a stricter asylum policy. But with increasing frequency, scenes are also taking place on the northern border with Canada that have so far only been seen in Texas: Photos show families with children in their arms and people walking on rough terrain with a backpack. In this case: in both directions. More and more migrants want to go from Canada to the United States, more and more also from the United States to Canada.

Last year, no less than 100,000 migrants wanted to enter America through the northern border. Incomparably much less than the southwestern border of the United States. But compared to 2021, the number has more than tripled. In January of this year alone, there were as many attempts to cross the border as in January and February combined. In most cases, these are migrants who flew to Montreal or Toronto from Mexico. Mexicans only need a visitor visa to enter Canada. They hope not to be sent back to the much less traveled border in reference to the “Title 42” entry restrictions caused by the pandemic. This allows border officials to turn back migrants without any procedure.