Reuters photographer Christinne Muschi recently spent time at the end of a small country road in Hemmingford, Quebec, that dead-ends at the U.S.-Canada border, just across from another dead-end road near Champlain, New York. She was photographing refugees, traveling alone or in small groups, who had taken taxis to the end of the road in the U.S., then walked across the border into Canada, into the custody of the RCMP. While the location is not an official border crossing, it is one of several spots that have become informal gateways to an increasing number of refugees choosing to leave the United States. Muschi reports that “in Quebec, 1,280 refugee claimants irregularly entered between April 2016 and January 2017, triple the previous year's total.” and that “the Canada Border Services Agency said in January that 452 people made a refugee claim at Quebec land border crossings.” Canadian advocacy groups say they are preparing for even more asylum-seekers, following increased anti-Muslim rhetoric in the U.S., and public expressions of welcome made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Refugees Fleeing Into Canada From the United States
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A woman who told police that she and her family were from Sudan is confronted by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer as she arrives by taxi and attempts to walk across the U.S.-Canada border into Hemmingford, Quebec, on February 12, 2017. #
Christinne Muschi / Reuters -
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A woman who told police that she and her family were from Sudan is taken into custody by a RCMP officer just over the U.S.-Canada border, in Hemmingford, Quebec, on February 12, 2017. #
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Luggage sits on the United States side of the border after a Sudanese family was taken into custody on February 12, 2017. Later, a A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who was present passed the luggage over the border to RCMP officers. #
Christinne Muschi / Reuters -
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A man who told police that he was from Mauritania is helped up a hill and taken into custody by RCMP officers after walking across the U.S.-Canada border on February 13, 2017. #
Christinne Muschi / Reuters -
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A man from Yemen is taken into custody by RCMP officers after walking across the U.S.-Canada border on February 14, 2017. The Yemeni man was shaking so badly that the officer asked if he was cold. "I am scared," he replied. #
Christinne Muschi / Reuters -
A man from Yemen is taken into custody by RCMP officers on February 14, 2017. The man had his arms up as he crossed the border. The officer said he didn't have to do that here, he could put his arms down. #
Christinne Muschi / Reuters -
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A man who told police that he was from Sudan is taken into custody by RCMP officers after arriving by taxi and walking across the U.S.-Canada border on February 13, 2017. The photographer witnessed one refugee attempt the border crossing twice turning back when confronted by the RCMP. The refugee finally left by cab but when the RCMP officers headed back to their cars, he left the cab and crossed over before the officer could confront him again. #
Christinne Muschi / Reuters -
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