To be granted asylum in Canada, refugees must convince Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board that nowhere in the U.S. is safe for them.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CTV News that people claiming refugee status in Canada would create room for individuals “facing actual fear and persecution”(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
New data published by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board shows a massive influx of Americans applying for refugee status in Canada since President Donald Trump took office in January.
According to the data published on Thursday, more Americans applied for refugee status in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024. While the American share of total applicants for refugee status is small — 245 out of about 55,000 — it represents Americans’ growing fear of many of Trump’s aggressive policies surrounding immigration, healthcare, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Canada’s acceptance of refugees from the U.S. has always been historically low. Asylum-seekers from other countries crossing the land border from the U.S. are often sent back under a bilateral agreement, reasoning that they should apply for asylum in the first “safe” country they arrive in.
READ MORE: Donald Trump shows ‘classic signs’ of horror disease as expert warns ‘it will get worse’READ MORE: Vladimir Putin covers face in layers of make-up as he appears after ‘will die soon’ claim
Trucks drives across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.(Image: AP)
Last year, 204 people from the U.S. applied for refugee status in Canada with the United States as their country of alleged persecution. Claims from the U.S. also rose during the first Trump administration.
While the data does not show the reason for the claim of refugee status, eight immigration lawyers told Reuters they are hearing from more trans Americans wanting to leave. The outlet spoke with one trans woman from Arizona who came to Canada to file a claim on behalf of her young trans daughter.
Trump, along with the U.S. Supreme Court, has rolled back several protections for trans individuals during his first few months in office, including restricting who can access gender-affirming care, who can serve in the military, who can use what bathroom, and who can play in some sports.
To be granted asylum in Canada, refugees must convince Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board that nowhere in the U.S. is safe for them.
Trucks cross the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Canada and Detroit, Michigan on the first day of President Donald Trump’s new 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico on March 4, 2025 in Windsor, Canada.(Image: Getty Images)
The Board has recently added documents from groups such as the Human Rights Watch examining the U.S.’s treatment of LGBTQ people to its national documentation package detailing country conditions.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CTV News that people claiming refugee status in Canada would create room for individuals “facing actual fear and persecution.”
Sign up to our FREE newsletter and get the top stories to your inbox
DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.