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Nearly half of illegal border-crossers into Canada are from Haiti

Only 10% of cases finalized so far have had refugee claims accepted

By Kathleen Harris, CBC News

There were 14,467 refugee claims made by people who crossed into Canada outside legal border points in a nine-month period this year, and nearly half of them were from Haiti.

Data released by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) on Wednesday shows that 6,304 citizens of Haiti claimed refugee status after crossing illegally into Canada between February and October, about 44 per cent of the total number.

Only 298 have had their claims finalized so far, and just 29 of them, or 10 per cent, have been accepted.

Another 139 claims from Haitians were rejected, 68 were abandoned and 62 were withdrawn or terminated, according to the data.

The fact that the number of successful Haitian claims is “very low” should serve as a cautionary tale for those still contemplating crossing into Canada illegally from the U.S. to seek asylum, said Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.

“Coming to Canada first of all has to be done through regular channels, and secondly the asylum system is only for people who are in genuine need of protection,” Hussen said.

“It’s not for everyone.”

full story at http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/haiti-border-crossers-canada-irregular-1.4414781

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