The Department of Immigration hopes to offer solutions on Canada’s migrant crisis in the coming months, according to a spokesperson.

Several provinces, including Ontario and Québec, are grappling with rising asylum claims amid a fluctuating immigration file.

Premiers Doug Ford and François Legault acknowledged last week that migrants were straining their housing supply, and lengthening queues for essential services.

“When it comes to asylum seekers, both Québec and Ontario bear the brunt of it. We’re just asking the federal government to give our fair share,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters Wednesday. 

From January thru May, Ontario took in 40,240 asylum seekers — more than double the year prior. Québec took in 28,165, compared to 26,220 last year.

Though asylum claims dropped sharply after Canada officially closed Roxham Road last March, the reprieve was short-lived. Claimants are flying into Montreal and Toronto and then claiming this status.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller acknowledges Canada admits individuals from countries with "unreliable police certificates" and those individuals commit crimes once inside Canada. pic.twitter.com/FkmgGW8bhD

— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) July 16, 2024

Immigration Minister Marc Miller admitted Tuesday that organized crime exploited flaws in Canada’s vetting process, allowing migrants to slip into the country undetected.

“Well-determined actors regardless of the country, and particularly sophisticated gangs, are often able to get around even the most stringent immigration requirements,” he said.

The RCMP received a five-page document in April 2023 detailing organized crime has a stronger foothold in Canada, including Mexican cartels.

“Although we have information that the Mexican cartels are in Canada, and are operating, we don’t know if they’re behind all the human smuggling operations,” confirmed RCMP spokesperson Sergeant Charles Poirier.

Criminal entities established migration routes for illegal immigrants to enter Canada and the U.S. under a shroud of secrecy. These networks also smuggle contraband into the country through these routes, such as drugs, tobacco and firearms.

"we have information that Mexican cartels are in Canada and are operating, we don't know if they're behind all of the human smuggling operations."

RCMP answers my questions about the criminal groups that are operating smuggling illegal immigrants across the border into Canada.… pic.twitter.com/7sNINpMRfY

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) September 25, 2023

“Canada has some of the most robust requirements in the world when we are checking people, but it’s not perfect,” Miller said.

A record 143,575 people sought asylum in Canada last year, with 90% settling in either Ontario or Québec.

The Ontario government has spent more than $1 billion housing newcomers and providing them access to health care and other services.

The Trudeau government earlier pledged $750 million to Quebec after heralding complaints from Premier François Legault for years. “I would prefer to receive less [money] in the future and have less asylum seekers,” he said.

Aissa Diop, a spokesperson for Minister Miller, said he acknowledges the complaints made by premiers at their meeting last week in Halifax. The annual Council of Federation meetings spurred intensified debate on the immigration file.

“We will keep having those conversations about how we can work collaboratively to make sure that asylum seekers feel supported, but provinces also feel supported,” she said.

BREAKING: PM Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden announce a deal to close Roxham Road beginning at midnight. Police and border agents will take the influx of illegal migrants to the closest port of entry to the USA. pic.twitter.com/leOpy0Ol12

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 24, 2023

The Trudeau government spent over $93 million booking hotels to accommodate asylum seekers between September 2021 and January 2023, according to government data. These include 10 hotels in Montreal, including a 112-room hotel near Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport.

The feds recently considered purchasing hotels to house migrants while reducing accommodation costs. They leased some 4,000 hotel rooms for 7,300 asylum seekers this year.

Premier Ford said “sticking them in a hotel” represents a temporary solution to a problem spiralling out of control.

What are the Trudeau Liberals hiding?

Rebel News filed an access to information about Roxham Road, Canada's notorious illegal point of entry.

The response featured heavy redactions beginning in 2015 — when the Liberals came to power.

You can support our work at… pic.twitter.com/JWl0RnrK0Y

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) March 20, 2024

Minister Miller also told reporters Tuesday that criminals are coming into the country to commit crimes.

“Regrettably, at times, people do get in and they do commit crimes,” he said. “Well-determined actors do have an ability despite best efforts to get in.”

The RCMP concurred with the minister in an earlier comment. “Transnational crime has no borders; we live in an increasingly larger and connected world,” RCMP spokesperson Marie-Eve Breton told reporters last August. 

“The passage of illegal immigrants is a global scourge that must be remedied,” she adds.

The RCMP told Rebel News last September 25 that human smuggling remains a notable concern, following the closure of Roxham Road. The federal government demolished the last agency outpost then, at the unofficial point of entry.