A media advisory from Solidarity Across Borders is republished here in full.

Migrants, Supporters Demand Trudeau Stand Up to Racist Populism over Roxham 

WHAT: Rally against closing of Roxham Road

WHEN: Wednesday, March 29th at 10am

WHERE: in front of Justin Trudeau’s riding office, 1100 Crémazie Blvd East, Tiohtià:ke (Montreal)

Solidarity Across Borders is calling for an emergency rally in front of Justin Trudeau’s office this Wednesday to denounce the useless and disastrous effects of the Roxham Road closing on refugees currently trying to enter Canada. The announcement was made and executed within a day, leaving many stranded with no alternatives. Closing Roxham Road will only force migrants to take more dangerous routes.

The rally will highlight Canada’s complicity in many crises in the Global South which push migrants to leave their countries in the first place, such as war, climate crisis and economic precarity. 

United States and Canadian corporate and military interests profit from war, climate catastrophe, and economic precarity in the Global South, and both countries routinely meddle in elections and elected governments abroad, creating crises that cause people to migrate. 

The rally will call on Trudeau to end the Safe Third Country Agreement, to ensure migrants can safely cross the US-Canada border, and to grant permanent resident status to all migrants. 

Facts about Roxham Road crossing:

• 20,891 people crossed into Canada by foot to claim asylum in 2022. This is a comparatively small number:
  • 616,429 Ukranians have been approved for travel to Canada since 2022; 
  • Nearly 1.2 million new work and study permits were approved in Canada in 2022;
  • 60,158 total in-country asylum claims were made in Canada in 2022 (including those who crossed by foot from the United States). 
• When asylum claimants arrive on foot from the US, they go through normal security screenings and the refugee claim process just like any other claimant. The acceptance rate for asylum seekers crossing on foot is 60%, the same as all other claimants. 

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For questions or to arrange interviews, contact: (514) 222-0205 or Hady Anne (514) 358-8836

Source: 

Solidarity Across Borders

solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.org

www.solidarityacrossborders.org