Surge in asylum seekers coming to Canada nothing new, community groups say

The reasons for a sudden surge in the number of people crossing into Quebec illegally from the U.S. may be something of a mystery, but community groups working with refugees in Montreal say one thing is for sure — the phenomenon is nothing new.

Though the official numbers for July have not been released, the provincial organization tasked with helping asylum seekers estimates that 1,174 people crossed into Quebec last month, compared to 180 people in July 2016.