Border crossers granted refugee status amid fears

Asylum seekers who illegally crossed the US border into Canada this year are obtaining refugee status at higher rates, new data shows, as authorities accept claims from people who say they feared being deported by Donald Trump’s administration.

More than 15,000 people have crossed the US-Canadian border illegally to claim refugee status in Canada this year. Many were in the United States legally and some interviewed by Reuters said they might have stayed were it not for an immigration crackdown.

The influx, mainly at the Quebec/New York border, prompted the military to set up a temporary tent encampment in Quebec and sparked a backlash from anti-migrant groups.

Lawyers who have handled dozens of cases said that members of refugee tribunals, who evaluate requests for asylum, have grown more sympathetic toward people who have spent time in the United States and who say they now fear immigration policies under Trump ...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/20/over-15000-have-crossed-us-canada-border-amid-deportation-fears-under-trump