So-called “irregular” asylum seekers are costing the federal government about $340-million this year, or about $14,000 per person.
And that number is expected to rise as more people seek asylum in Canada.
The figures are contained in a report, “Costing Irregular Migration Across Canada’s Southern Border”, that was released Thursday by Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux.
It does not include costs incurred by provinces, territories and municipalities, which administer social service costs.
Federal costs include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board.
A family, claiming to be from Colombia, is arrested by RCMP officers as they cross the border into Canada from the United States as asylum seekers near Champlain, N.Y., on April 18, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
With a federal election scheduled next year, Ottawa’s handling of immigration is expected to come under more scrutiny as Canada continues receive the highest number of refugee claims in nearly 30 years.
(In the first 10 months of 2018, 46,245 persons made asylum claims. Six thousand of those came in October.
So far this year, CBSA has deported 296 irregular border crossers, while another 534 are scheduled to leave.
More than 36,000 people have walked into Canada from the United States to file refugee claims since January 2017, many saying they feared U.S. President Donald Trump’s election promise and policy to crack down on illegal immigration.
Earlier this year, the immigration department changed the characterization of those attempting to come to Canada outside of normal channels from “illegal” to irregular.
With files from CBC, Global News, Government of Canada
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