'Someone is going to slip through': Worry grows over influx of asylum seekers

Greg Janzen, the reeve of Emerson, Man.,where dozens of would-be refugee claimants have recently crossed the porous Canada-U.S. border, says some area residents are beginning to express anxiety about the influx.

The small border town of671has been galvanized to helpasylum seekers, and the issue has certainly put the communityon the map, attractingmedia attention from across the globe. Janzensaid he's done 95 television interviews over the last two weeks. Before that he'd only done one, a dozen years ago.

But as the number ofasylum seekers continues to surge, it's beginning to put a strain on localresources and raise some security concerns over potentialrisks to the residents, he said.

"It's starting to get concerning, becausethe numbers are growing," Janzen said.

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So far, the asylum seekers have caused notrouble, and there have been no confrontations. Most residents seem more than happy to help out.

ButJanzensaid there are worries that someone, possibly with a criminal background, might be able to sneak in among the asylum seekers and into their community.

"I'm scared, the bigger the numbers if we don't have enough officials, someone is going to slip through the crack because there's so many peopleto process."

'It's about to blow'

Janzen said he's concerned that someone with criminal intent could breakinto a home, or attemptto steal a car, whichcould lead to a clash with a member of the community.

"It's about to blow. I think there's going to be confrontations," Janzensaid. "There's going to be an incident."

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While it's illegal to cross theborder into Canada by evadingofficial border points, once an individual is in the country, he or she is able to claim refugee status.

The federalManitoba Conservative caucus hasalso expressed its concerns about the spike in illegal border crossings, a phenomenon some attribute toU.S. President Donald Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration and hiscontroversial travel ban.

"Canada is a safe and welcoming country, but we must also take steps to protect our border and ensure the process for entering our country is consistent and fair forall seeking refuge inCanada," the caucus said in a statement.

The caucus urged the federal government to beef up resources to strengthen the security of the border.

Otherwise, the current situation, the caucussays, "rewards those that areentering Canada illegally and acts as a disincentive to proceed through the fair, legitimate application process."

"We have a port of entry for a reason, because that'swhere we expect peoplethat want to enterintoour countyto come," said federal MP Ted Falk, chair of the Manitoba Conservative caucus, whose riding includes Emerson.

Under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement,a person must make their refugee claim in the first safe country they arrive in.

As a result, however, those who first arrive in the U.S. but show up at the border seeking to come into Canada and make a refugee claim will likely be turned back. (There are a few exceptions for example, if the claimant has a family member in Canada.)

Falkacknowledged he hasn't heardthat any ofthose who have crossed the border recently may pose a threat. But he said there has been some anxiety among residents who have been woken up by those seeking asylum.

Asylum seekers pound the door

"Quite often [the asylum seekers]come in the middle of the night, they pound on the door, ring the doorbell, tap on the glass. Some [residents]are quite anxious about that situation," Falk said.

"We don't know the peoplewho are coming across. Are they all coming across becauseof a desire to seek a better life? Or are they coming acrossperhapsbecause they are criminals?"

Federal Conservative immigration critic MichelleRempelsaid what needs to be emphasized to people who might be considering crossing the border isthat it is an illegal act.

"We shouldn't be romanticizingthis to anyone who is considering this as an option," she said. "This is something that should not be attempted," she said.

"Do we have the resources in placeto enforce theselaws?I think we have to stay on top of that."

Strain on human resources

Many would-be refugee claimantscrossin snowy fields, oftenin brutal, freezing weather conditions, and some have suffered severe frostbite.

BillSpanjer, municipal emergency co-ordinator for Emerson-Franklin, said some of the local resources of Emerson are being taxed particularly the paid volunteers who must respond to every 911 call regarding an asylum seeker.

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"I think the ones that are most taxed are the oneswho are running out at 3:30 in the morning looking for these people," Spanjer said.

There are 21 members of the fire department, but eight of those are speciallytrained as medicalresponders, meaning one of those within that group must attend every call. As well, it's a paid volunteer force and mosthave full-time jobs.

"They'regettingcalled out of their beds of all hours of the night because most of these incidents are happening at night," Spanjer said.

And with more asylum seekers expected, "we can certainly see this having some effect" on the emergency responders, Spanjer said.

Jay Ihme, a fire departmentsafety officer for Emerson and one of the handful who have special medical training, also works as a butcher.

"It's getting slightly taxing, and it's the anticipationofwhen's theothershoegoingto drop," he said. "Is this goingto continue on every night or is it goingto be every weekend?"

"But yeah, it is getting a bit trying."