Once the weather warms up, a Windsor immigration lawyer fears the city will see a big increase in asylum seekers from the U.S.
Eddie Kadri says unless the Canadian government comes up with a plan to deal with illegal immigration from the U.S., the city could find itself in the eye of the "perfect storm" of asylum seekers fleeing anti-immigration rhetoric state-side.
"Because of our susceptible geography here in Windsor-Essex, I really believe we're going to see numbers like we've never seen before," he says. "Certainly access by short boat ride is very desirable to those who are trying to seek to enter our country unlawfully and not at our traditional ports of entry."
Jelena Payne, community development and health commissioner with the City of Windsor, tells BlackburnNews.com, so far, the city has not seen an increase in asylum seekers, just refugees immigrating through legal channels.
Kadri stresses he's proud of Canada's welcoming character and believes Canadians should want to help refugees, but says an influx of illegal immigrants will stress the immigration process. As a lawyer specializing in legal immigration, he fears long delays will encourage more people to enter the country illegally.
"We don't have unlimited resources and so, if there's a strain put on our system, it's going to cause us, inevitably, to divert resources," says Kadri.
He also fears criminals will profit from vulnerable people seeking a more certain future.
"You have people in the United States, by the millions, that don't have lawful status -- these people are right at our doorstep. They are fearful of what is going to happen to them," says Kadri. "What I'm most concerned about is the criminal element that's surfacing, that's very well knowledgeable about the loopholes in our immigration system."
He says he is encouraged the federal government is monitoring the recent flood of asylum seekers in places like Emerson Manitoba and Quebec but says Canada needs a plan in place before even more people flee the Trump Administration's crackdown.
The Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship responded via email to inquiries from BlackburnNews.com:
"The number of asylum [seekers] fluctuates throughout the year and can change month to month. In 2011, more than 25,000 people claimed asylum in Canada, where as in 2014, approximately 13,500 claimed asylum."