Montreal's Olympic Stadium used to house surge in asylum seekers crossing from U.S.
Outreach worker estimates more than 1,000 migrants travelled from U.S. to Canada in July alone
A temporary welcome centrehas been opened at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal to housea new waveof asylum seekers coming from the United States to Quebec, many of them Haitians.
"We've never seen this before," said Francine Dupuis, who overseesPRAIDA, the provincial government organization that helps claimants in their first months.
"It's really quite a bit more intense than what we're used to."
On Wednesday, asylum seekers were taken to the Olympic Stadium by bus. Among them were children and pregnantwomen.
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- Illegal border crossings by asylum seekers decline in Manitoba but spike in Quebec
In the past, PRAIDAhas worked with a Montreal YMCA to temporarily provide newcomers with housing and support,but the recentsurge of Haitians crossing the border from the United States has strained PRAIDA's existing resources and forced it to open several new centres, including one at the Olympic Stadium.
We've never seen this before. It's really quite a bit more intense than what we're used to.- Francine Dupuis, PRAIDA
Between 100 and 450 cots have been set upin the Olympic Stadium. The asylum seekers will be housed in the area with concession stands just on the border of the actual arena. It's a windowless, concretehallway.
A spokesperson for Olympic Park said the request to use the stadium came on Friday.
"We were quick to say, 'OK, how much space do we need?'" Cdric Essminimysaid. "And in 24 hours, everything was set."
The Olympic Stadium is one of Montreal's most well-known landmarks. It was built in the early1970sas a venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Known locally as the Big O, it was home to the MontrealExposuntil the team left the city in 2004.
Dozens of other asylum seekers who crossed illegally into Quebec are still being held by the Canada Border Services Agency at theSt-Bernard-de-Lacolleborder crossing south of Montreal.
A number of tents and temporary sheltershave been set up there to accommodate the asylum seekers.
Though official numbers have not been released by the federal government,Dupuisestimates 1,174asylum seekers crossed into Quebec in July. In comparison,PRAIDAhelped 180 people in July 2016.
Fear of deportation from U.S.
In May, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw the protective status of Haitians who took refuge in the country following the 2010 earthquake.
Up to 58,000 people could face deportation back to Haiti in January 2018.
A woman interviewed WednesdayatRoxhamRoad, a key point of entry for asylum seekerscrossing illegally intoQuebec, said she left the U.S. because she was scared.
"We didn't know what was going to happen," she said.
"So we checked online and we saw that Canada was going to welcome Haitians, and that's why we come here."
One man who spoke to reporters from the Olympic Stadium identified himself as Haitian and said he arrived in Canada about a week ago.
"It feels really good to be in Canadabecause it's so calm," he said in French.
PRAIDA'sDupuissaid Montreal's large Haitian community is a reason why many Haitians are crossing the border into Quebec.
"Obviously, there is a stronger attraction to coming to Quebec for Haitians than in other provinces," she said.
"They have the help of their community to get settled."
MarjorieVillefranche, director general ofthe Maison d'Haiti, a hub for the Haitian community in Montreal, saidthe group has been hearing from families living in the U.S. hoping to come to Canada.
In the last three weeks especially, a larger number of Haitians have been crossing the border asking for refugee status,she said. Villefranche said the Maison d'Haiti helps asylum seekers fill outpaperwork to be able to stay in Canada.
She said word of how to cross into Canada has spread quickly on Haitian social networks, encouraging more people to come to Quebec.
However, it's unclear if they'll be able to stay. Asylum seekers originally from Haiti who have crossed the Canada-U.S. border could be deported back to Haiti if their applicationis refused, because Canadian authorities deem Haiti asa sufficiently safe country.
Mayor welcomes asylum seekers
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre took to social media to welcomethe Haitian asylum seekers.
"You can count on our full co-operation," he wrote.
La ville de Montral souhaite la bienvenue aux rfugis hatiens. Vous pouvez compter sur notre entire collaboration. Nap kin be fo.
—@DenisCoderreQuebec Immigration Minister Kathleen WeilconfirmedWednesday afternoon that Haitians make up around 70 per cent of recent asylum seekers.
She said the influx is not unprecedented and Quebec is working "hand in glove" with the federal government to process the asylum seekers in a timely manner.
"We can handle it. There is not one ministry that is concerned about that the federal government is not concerned about it. We have seen volumes like this in the past," she said.
Resources strained
The asylum seekers are usually housed for a couple of weeks, Dupuis said.PRAIDA alsouses the centres to help them get their paperwork in order andfind permanent housing.
Dupuis said the organization is in daily contact with the provincial government and is working to deal with demand as it comes, but they cannot predict whether the number of asylum seekers will stabilize, increaseor diminish.
In first sixmonths of 2017, there have been 4,345 illegal border crossings byasylumseekers in Canada. Border crossings into Quebec represent the vast majority 3,350 of the 4,345.
Under Canada's Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States,most asylum claims made at official land border crossings with the U.S. are denied on the spot.
The agreement deems both Canada and the U.S. safe for asylum seekers and requires them to make a refugee claim in the first country they arrive in.
However, by entering Canada illegally and claiming refugee status, asylum seekers are generally allowed to stay while their refugee applications are processed.
Jean Philippe Guillaume wanted to come down and just be present to show support for asylum seekers @CBCMontreal pic.twitter.com/w57brYoUZK
—@ryhicksWith files from Radio-Canada, Peter Zimonjic and Ryan Hicks
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