21 asylum seekers crossed into Manitoba Saturday: reeve

Emergency workers in Emerson, Man., were called to help at least 21 refugees who crossed the Canada-U.S. border in the weehours of Saturday morning.

Refugees entering from the U.S. are walking through open farmers' fields to pass through the border into Manitoba near the town.

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The town's emergency measures co-ordinator,BillSpanjer said the refugeescame in two groups.

Emerson-Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen saidemergency crews found 21 asylum seekersin total. He said he's been told a bus dropped off one group of 16 people alone.

"They're housing them all at customs," he said Saturday afternoon.

Janzen said there was at least one family that crossed the border with their children.

A group of fivewas located approximately six kilometres north of the customs office on Highway 75,and the larger group appears to have crossed at Noyes, Minn., he said.

Janzen hadinitially told CBC 27 refugees had entered into Manitoba on Saturday, but later clarified and saidhe had misspoken.

Manitoba RCMP confirmed Saturday afternoon in a news release they had detained 21people who entered into Canada.

Both groups called 911 right after they crossed the border triggering a response fromRCMP and the local fire department.

"These people basically call 911 as soon as they cross," Spanjer said. "It's not the locals who are calling 911, it's the actual asylum-seekers who are calling 911."

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Spanjer said the municipality is waiting to hear from Canada Border Services Agency whether the community centre needs to be open to provide the refugees a place to stay.

On Thursday, the border town of 671 heldan emergency meeting with members of theCanada BorderServices Agency andMounties to talk about concerns overa recent surge ofrefugees passing through.

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"In the short term, you're not going to see any immediate change," Spanjer said."The meeting was more called to decide as to who is responsible for what, and lay the processes out on the table, so that everybody knew what the process was."

According to the Canada Border Services Agency, 403 people entered Canada near the town over a nine-month periodlast year, up from 340 in the 2015-16 fiscal year and 68 in 2013-14.

22 last weekend

Last weekend, 22 people made the journey 19 on Saturday and three on Sunday according to the RCMP.

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It was the largest group the CBSA says it'sever seen in such a short time span.

Last week, another 10 refugee claimant files were opened, said Rita Chahal,executive director of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council.

"I certainly think people are taking their lives in their hands trying to do this in the middle of winter," Spanjersaid Saturday.

"Even with the temperatures warming up, they're still subject to frostbite if they get stuck or lost out there. But that's a chance that they certainly appear to be willing to take."

At 6 a.m. it was 17C in Emerson.

Immigration lawyer on asylum-seekers crossing into Canada

8 years ago

Duration 6:40

Jacqueline Bonisteel, an immigration and refugee lawyer, discusses why people are crossing the Canada-U.S. border to apply for refugee status in Canada

Read CBC's full coverage of refugees crossing the U.S. border into Manitoba