Canada on 'high alert' amid potential migrant influx from US border

Authorities warn entering Canada between border checkpoints is illegal and risky, especially during winter months

Canadian authorities said Friday they're on "high alert" with all eyes on the US border as the country braces for a possible influx of migrants from the United States.

US President-elect Donald Trump has promised the largest mass deportation in American history, accusing immigrants of "poisoning the blood of our country."

During his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021, tens of thousands of migrants, including Haitians stripped of US protections, fled north to Canada.

"We're on high alert," a Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman, Sergeant Charles Poirier, told AFP.

"All of our eyes are looking at the border to see what's going to happen... because we know that Trump's stance on immigration might drive up illegal and irregular migration to Canada," he said.

In Ottawa, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland met Friday with a group of ministers tasked with handling thorny issues that might emerge between Canada and the incoming Trump administration.

She sought to reassure that Canada was ready for a possible uptick in migrant arrivals.

"We have a plan," she told a news conference after the meeting, without giving details. "Canadians need to know... our borders are safe and secure and we control them."

Watching out for a possible influx comes as Canada is slashing its own immigration targets.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has said it wants to slow population growth while it bolsters key infrastructure and social services.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault this week also expressed concerns about a large number of arrivals overwhelming his province's already strained ability to house them.

Google searches

Immediately following Tuesday's election, online searches in the United States about moving to Canada jumped tenfold.

The legal status of the people making those queries is unclear, but some US citizens opposed to Trump's return to power have reportedly been querying Canadian immigration and relocation services.

Google Trends pointed to search terms such as "immigrate to Canada," "Canada immigration process" and "how to move to Canada."

The government estimates the processing of permanent residency applications can take up to one year, while projected wait times for refugee claims is 44 months.

Entering Canada between border checkpoints is illegal, and dangerous, especially in winter months, the RCMP's Poirier noted.

"We understand the misery and fear that drives people to try to cross into Canada (through forests or fields or across lakes and rivers), but there are real dangers," he warned.

"It's starting to get cold. We've seen some tragedies in the past. People were severely frostbitten and had to have amputations. People also suffered severe hypothermia," Poirier said.

Rule changes in 2023 have also made it harder for people coming from the United States to succeed in making asylum claims in Canada, and they would likely be returned to the United States.

Poirier said "more boots on the ground" are expected to be deployed along the world's longest unmilitarized border in the coming days, as authorities expect migrants to start hitting the road soon, ahead of Trump's inauguration in January.

Additionally cameras, sensors and drones have already been set up along this 8,891 kilometers stretch, and information is being shared between Canada and the United States in real time, he added.

Despite months of planning, Poirier warned if thousands of migrants come all at once and cross at many border points "it could become unmanageable."