Quebec, Ottawa urged to take in Haitian refugees after thousands detained, expelled at U.S.-Mexico border

Some Quebecersare calling on the provincialand federal governments to take in some of theHaitian refugees who have been detainedat theU.S.-Mexico border and are likelyfacing deportation backto theimpoverished Caribbean island.

A makeshift encampment under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas, along the border,was a temporary home to about 15,000Haitian refugees last month while they waitedto be processed for asylum in search of a better life in the U.S.

But members of Montreal's Haitian communitydenouncedthe "inhumane" treatment of migrants at the camp, where images that went viral showed American border patrol agents using aggressive tactics to prevent themfrom entering the U.S., such as hitting them with leather reins.

In the end, 7,000 asylum seekers were expelled to Haiti from theU.S.,with Mexico sending back 200 people total.The last remaining migrants, who were living in squalid conditions in the camp, were cleared out by Sept. 24.

"We feel betrayed by this kind of policy," saidFrantz Voltaire, a Montreal-based documentary filmmaker. His family comes fromthe southwestern region of Haiti andhehas been researching the country since the 1980s.

Voltaire says the conditions many are going back to on the Caribbean Island are devastating.

"We live in a situation where you have kidnappings, where you have rape, you have violence," he said, addingmigrants at the border are not all from Haiti, but rather people whotravelled from as far as Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

"It's in contradiction with the Geneva Convention that you can expel the people to a country where their lives are at risk," Voltaire said.

'Canada has a responsibility in this situation'

Quebec's association of immigration lawyers, which goes by its French acronym, AQAADI, is calling on Quebec and Canadato step up and take in some of the Haitian refugees as many haven't had their asylum claims heard, says lawyer Dan Bohbot.

"It is not right for a country to return refugees without letting them have a chance to explain why they want to apply for asylum, if they'rehaving reasons to fear returning to their country," said Bohbot.

Haiti is embroiled in humanitarian and political crises in the wake of a presidential assassination, gang violence and a major earthquake.Bohbot says the province should step in and offer asylum.

"There's a very strong community of Haitians, they contribute a lot to our community, to our province, and I think that it would be only normal for [Premier Franois Legault] to say 'Hey there's room here for some of them,'" hesaid.

Bohbot says the province has done this before for refugees from Vietnam and Syria. He says federal leaders also need to speak out against the mass deportations.

Legault's officedid not respond to CBC News' requestfor comment.

In a statement, Peter Liang,a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, said Canada has been "engaging directly with the interim government and other actors" to promote an inclusive dialogue with all political parties.

"We want to continue to strengthen our efforts to improve the lives of the Haitian people," Liang said.

Voltaire says Canada shares part of the blame for the chaos in Haiti after supporting the country's corruptgovernment for years.

The Canadian government is part of the Core Group, which comprises ambassadors to Haitifrom Germany, Brazil, Spain, the United States, France and the European Union.Many members of the Haitian community and its diasporahave accused the groupof meddling in their home country's affairs and contributing to its instability.

"Canada has a responsibility in this situation and can help solve part of the problem," said Voltaire.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.You can read more stories here.