Police in Quebec report the bodies of two more migrants who died trying to cross from Canada into the United States, bringing the death toll to eight, including two children.

Six bodies were discovered Thursday in a marshy area of the St. Lawrence River, which forms the Canada-US border. The victims were described as members of two families of Romanian and Indian descent.

According to Akwesasne Mohawk Police Chief Shawn Dulude, authorities are still looking for Casey Oakes, 30, who was last seen Wednesday operating a boat found near the bodies. The latest two bodies were discovered in the water by a police helicopter.

“At this point, eight bodies have been recovered from the waters.” “All are believed to have tried to enter the United States illegally from Canada,” Dulude said.

According to Dulude, the child discovered on Friday was a Canadian citizen and a member of a Romanian family. An adult woman believed to be an Indian national, was also found dead.

Dulude stated that he had no idea whether Oakes was alive but that he was a person of interest.

Because of its location, the territory is known for being a transit point for human and contraband trafficking. In February, Akwesasne police reported increased human smuggling into Mohawk territory.

“This has exploited our community,” said Grand Chief Abram Benedict of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. “This is not the first time a tragedy of this magnitude has occurred in our community.” We’ve had other setbacks.”

The weather in the area was bad Wednesday night, according to Lee-Ann O’Brien, deputy chief of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service.

Canada Orders Post Mortem

Six of the bodies, according to O’Brien, were discovered during the search for Oakes, who was reported missing on Thursday. On Wednesday, Oakes of Akwesasne was last seen around 9:30 p.m., boarding a small boat from the east end of Cornwall Island, located in the St. Lawrence River on the Ontario side of the Mohawk territory.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the situation as “heartbreaking.” “We need to understand what happened, how it happened, and do everything we can to reduce the chances of this happening again.”

The first body was discovered around 5 p.m., according to the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service. Thursday was spent in a marsh. A police marine unit, assisted by the Canadian Coast Guard and the Hogansburg Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department, searched the area further.

The Quebec Provincial Police and the Ontario Provincial Police also provided air support.

To determine the cause of the deaths, post-mortem and toxicology tests have been ordered.

According to Akwesasne police, approximately 80 people have attempted to cross illegally into Canada or the United States through Mohawk territory since January, most of whom are of Indian or Romanian descent.

Akwesasne has territory in Quebec, Ontario, and New York state and straddles the Canada-United States border.

“There have always been people passing through here,” Dulude told AP. “I’ve always been concerned.” It’s just that there’s more focus now.”

He stated that most people travel south to the United States and that it is uncommon for someone to travel north.

Migrants Crossing the River

Tony Jackson, an Akwesasne resident, said the weather was calm during the day on Wednesday when Oakes was last seen, but later turned rough. “The east wind around here creates a lot of waves, maybe five feet tall,” Jackson said. He estimated Oakes’ boat to be less than six meters (20 feet) long.

“That called for disaster,” he said, crossing the river in a small boat with many people on board.

He claimed he had never heard Oakes discuss transporting migrants. However, Jackson stated that he had personally witnessed groups of migrants crossing fields with bags in hand and boats transporting large groups of people across the river on occasion.

“You’ll see a couple of them walking down the road with all their bags a couple of times in a month,” he said.

Six Indian nationals were rescued from a sinking boat in the St. Regis River, which runs through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, in April 2022. A seventh person seen leaving the ship and wading ashore was later identified as a US citizen. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials called the incident a human smuggling incident.

Trudeau and the U.S. Last week, President Joe Biden announced a plan to close a gap in an immigration agreement that allowed thousands of asylum seekers to travel between the two countries along a back road connecting New York state to Quebec.

The agreement to close an illegal border crossing about 105 kilometers (66 miles) east of Akwesasne went into effect on Saturday. According to O’Brien, it has nothing to do with the closure of the Roxham Road illegal border crossing into Canada.

A Florida man was charged with human smuggling early last year after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teen, was discovered in Canada near the US border during what authorities believe was a failed crossing attempt during a freezing blizzard between Manitoba, Canada and North North Dakota. The victims were Indian nationals attempting to enter the United States.

Migrants are choosing Canada in record numbers.

Last year, nearly 40,000 migrants, a record number, crossed into Canada at an unofficial border crossing at the end of a remote rural road in upstate New York to seek asylum. Many people believe that the country is more welcoming than the United States. Can Canada, however, handle the influx?

Roxham Road is cold and quiet on a snowy winter day. The sound of wheels approaching the end of the path or the crunching of footsteps on snow breaks the silence.

Every day, approximately 150 migrants are dropped off here, determined to enter Canada. Many people began their journey as far away as Brazil, with this road in New York state serving as their destination.

Roxham Road does not serve as an official border crossing. At the other end, there are no border agents, only police officers who arrest those who cross.

However, it has become known as an easy way to enter Canada from the United States to seek asylum.

Last year saw the highest influx of migrants through that route, with thousands drawn by the country’s reputation for assisting those fleeing war and conflict.

The influx has increased frustration on both sides of the border with the path, concerns about its safety, and what the future holds for those who travel it.

Roxham Road gained national attention in 2017 when many migrants fleeing displacement and conflict began crossing there.

Some attribute its sudden popularity to fears of deportation from the United States under Trump’s administration, while others point to a tweet by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that read: “To those fleeing persecution, terror, and war, Canadians will welcome you.”

Housing for newly arrived migrants

The influx surprised Canadian officials. The Olympic Stadium in Montreal was briefly converted into housing for newly arrived migrants. The federal government attempted to stem the tide by emphasizing that simply arriving in Canada did not entitle one to stay.

The Covid-19 pandemic closed the route due to federal emergency health measures, but the demand for a haven never subsided.

Thousands of asylum seekers returned when those restrictions were lifted 16 months ago.

Many are from Haiti, wracked by political and gang violence in recent months. There has also been an influx of people from Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Colombia and from as far away as Afghanistan, all dealing with domestic strife.

At the same time, the Biden administration has extended some Trump-era pandemic policies, such as Title 42, which has been used to deny some migrants land entry at the US-Mexico border.

Migrants interviewed by the BBC in Quebec said they increasingly see the United States as a non-viable refugee destination, where asylum claims can often take years to be heard and where they do not feel welcome.

Joshua arrived in Montreal two days after Christmas and lives in a rented flat with other migrants while his claim is heard.

He told the BBC that he had been living in exile in Chile for five years without travel documents when he decided to travel to Canada.

“Other countries aren’t as welcoming to irregular immigrants,” said Joshua, whose name has been changed to protect his identity as a political refugee. But, he claims, Canada has welcomed him.

Canadian’s Angy at Justin Trudeau

The influx is due to a nearly two-decade-old agreement with the US called the Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires migrants to seek asylum in the first safe country they enter.

A migrant from the United States would be turned away at a Canadian border crossing, but Roxham Road, an unofficial route, provides a detour.

Mr. Trudeau has dismissed calls to close the crossing, claiming that it would be futile given the thousands of kilometers of undefended border with the United States and that migrants would risk crossing elsewhere.

Instead, he has focused on renegotiating the agreement, which he is expected to discuss with Joe Biden when the president visits Ottawa later this week.

However, the prime minister is under pressure to act as new arrivals strain social services, particularly in Quebec, where many migrants settle.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has declared the province’s situation untenable, claiming that services have been “pushed to the brink” and that some migrants are now homeless.

In February, he stated, “It is becoming increasingly difficult to receive asylum seekers with dignity.”

Canada’s Agencies Overwhelmed

Migrants also face a growing backlog of refugee claims, which increased by 26% from 56,300 in January to nearly 71,000 in December. Claim processing can now take up to two years. Last year, approximately 28% of all claims were denied, indicating that success is not guaranteed.

Work permits are also subject to lengthy waits.

It used to take a week to obtain the documents required to apply for employment as a new asylum seeker. The wait is now nearly two years, according to Maryse Poisson, who works at the Welcome Collective, a Montreal organization that assists newcomers.

A photograph of Joshua’s backside taken in downtown Montreal. He’s dressed in a red baseball cap and parka.

Due to backlogs, Joshua, a Venezuelan migrant, may not receive his Canadian work permit until 2024.

As a result, many migrants have struggled to make ends meet, and some have turned to food banks and other social supports while they wait, according to advocates.

“Some of them are in a position where they have to accept work under the table,” said Suzanne Taffot, a Montreal-based immigration lawyer who assists asylum seekers with their claims.

Ms. Poisson fears some will fall through the cracks without additional government assistance.

“We’re very concerned that the most vulnerable people, those with trauma, those with language barriers, don’t get the help they need at all,” she said.

US border security increased.

Border agents in the United States have noticed an increase in the number of people returning from Canada. In January, the US Border Patrol apprehended 367 people attempting to cross from north to south – more than the previous 12 years combined.

Republican lawmakers have since warned of a “crisis” at the northern border.

Some of those who return have done so out of frustration at not being able to find work in Canada or to reunite with family, according to people who work with asylum seekers in Montreal.

Tyler Tambini is one of a few taxi drivers in upstate New York who transport migrants to Roxham Road for free.

Despite the growing challenges in Canada, migrants continue to cross Roxham Road in record numbers, undeterred even in the depths of winter.

Taxi drivers Terry Provost and Tyler Tambini on the New York side of the border said they frequently drive people to the border from the Plattsburgh bus station, sometimes for free, because some migrants run out of money near the end of their journey.

“This guy had no money, and he’d been waiting and waiting at a motel,” Mr. Provost explained as he dropped off an Afghan asylum seeker.

When the migrants cross, they are met by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who warn them that they will be arrested if they proceed.

Previously a ditch with some brush and trees, the Canadian side of the border has been transformed into a small police compound since 2017, complete with trailers to process those who cross and buses waiting to transport newcomers to nearby hotels.

Mr. Provost observed people hesitating before taking the final step, unsure of what awaited them on the other side.

However, for migrants like Joshua, Canada is the last haven.

He told the BBC, “The American dream died many years ago.” “Montreal is my new home, my only home.”