Community advocates say theyâre concerned about misinformation spreading among the Haitian refugees flocking from the U.S. to Montreal, where many have been falsely led to believe that finding asylum will be âeasy.â
Hundreds of these refugees have already taken up temporary residence in and around the cityâs Olympic Stadium, while they await processing as refugee claimants from Haiti and, more recently, Donald Trumpâs United States. But members of Montrealâs existing Haitian community say the new arrivals are chasing false hope fuelled by incorrect information on social media.
âI saw a lot of people telling them that it is very easy to come here,â Marjorie Villefranche, of Maison DâHaiti, told CTV Montreal. âYou just cross the border and you are safe and everything will be alright for you.â
But Villefranche and others point out thatâs simply not the case.
âThey are safe, this is true, but everything will not be alright because they have to go through a process.â
Immigration lawyer Richard Neil Goldman says thereâs no guarantee that refugee claimants who arrive in Canada will be allowed to stay.
âComing to Canada â putting your feet inside the border â gives you the right to be heard. To tell your story,â Goldman said. âIt doesnât necessarily mean your story will be accepted.â
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted last week that Canada has the capacity to process an influx of refugees. But that doesnât mean theyâll all be allowed to remain in the country. Historically, roughly half of all refugee claimants are turned away, although that number could be different, depending on the perceived danger of sending them back to the U.S.
In the meantime, Montrealers are being urged to help the newcomers during their stay, as they send their children to school, and seek basic healthcare while they wait to be processed.
Villefranche says the border-crossers are just looking for a better life, and are not here to simply take advantage of Canadaâs social programs.
âWhen you leave everything and you arrive here with a suitcase, you must be desperate,â she said.
âItâs not to their advantage to take advantage of the system,â added Montreal radio host Vladimir Gelin, in a French-language interview with CTV Montreal. âWhat they want is to work and support their families as fast as possible.â
Refugee claims in Quebec have surged in recent weeks, from 50 up to 150 a day.
The surge in Haitian refugees has been blamed on U.S. President Donald Trumpâs threat to end a program that granted them âtemporary protected statusâ following the Haitain earthquake in 2010.
With files from CTV Montreal