Seven refugee claimants cross into Emerson Wednesday

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This article was published 22/02/2017 (3237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seven asylum seekers crossed the U.S. border into Emerson early Wednesday morning, bringing the total since Jan. 1 to 111.

The seven arrived at the Emerson Inn at about 6:30 a.m., hotel manager Wayne Pfiel said.

RCMP had not confirmed the numbers Wednesday.

Pfiel said the migrants were all in good condition after a four-hour trek through the snow, noting they were all wearing winter clothing.

The owners of the restaurant/hotel fed the asylum seekers coffee and eggs before they were taken for processing by local RCMP, he said.

Pfiel said the refugee claimants said they were dropped off at the border by a taxi driver from Grand Forks and made their way to Emerson on foot.

Emerson-Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen said the arrivals during the weekday represent a departure from recent weeks, when dozens have crossed over on Friday or Saturday night, including more than 70 in the last month alone.

“They’re breaking routine,” Janzen said. “And that’s where it’s going to get tougher to watch the border with fewer people. When they were coming on the weekend, you kind of knew it and you could have more resources here for just a couple of days.”

In January and February 2016, the Canada Border Services Agency reports there were no claimants crossing in Manitoba. There have been more than 500 since April 1 — almost a 50 per cent increase over 2015-16, with still more than a month before the end of the fiscal year.

In Quebec, RCMP reported 452 people crossed the border to make a refugee claim in January, an increase of 230 per cent from a year earlier.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @randyturner15