The Royal Mounted Canadian Police have arrested eight asylum seekers of Haitian origin in Hemmingford, Que., near the U.S. border — about 68 kilometres south of Montreal.
The arrests come less than a week after police stopped 19 people in the Havelock area of Montérégie, Que., who entered Canada from the U.S.
Cpl. Erique Gasse of the Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RCMP) said that border technology detection allowed the United States Border Patrol to notify the RCMP at around 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 2.
Gasse said a man who came to pick up the asylum seekers was intercepted shortly before locating the group.
“Due to their health condition, the eight individuals were transported to the hospital to treat frostbite and signs of hypothermia,” Gasse wrote in an email sent on Monday, noting that the RCMP requested assistance from the Sûreté du Québec for the operation due to the extreme cold.
The RCMP says they are observing an “increase in irregular crossings to the North.”
“We remind everyone that attempting to cross the border illegally is extremely dangerous, both for the migrants and for our resources on the ground, especially in winter,” the statement reads.
All eight migrants were transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to start the asylum application process.
The CBSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.