HEMMINGFORD, Quebec - Canadian police said on Monday they have bolstered their presence at the Quebec border and border authorities have created a temporary refugee center to process a growing number of asylum seekers crossing from the United States.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said at a news conference that it has converted an unused basement into a refugee claimant processing center. Both the border agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are reassigning staff from other locations in the province, as needed, to accommodate rising demand.
The CBSA said the number of people making refugee claims at Quebec-US border crossings more than doubled between 2015 and 2016. Last month 452 people made claims compared to 137 in January 2016, the agency said.
