New U.S.-Canada border deal partly to blame for Akwesasne tragedy, asylum groups say

Those who work with refugees in Canada say the Akwesasne tragedy was one foretold in part by the new agreement signed last week between the United States and Canada that makes it harder to seek asylum at unofficial border crossings like Roxham Road.

“It’s tough not to associate this with what happened at Roxham Road and the new Safe Third Country Agreement, and the overall sentiment that’s been pushed forward with all these agreements and talks,” said  Abdulla Daoud, executive director of the Montreal-based Refugee Centre.

“After what happened last week, the sentiment that we are projecting to asylum-seeking communities is that Canada is no longer accepting people.”

The bodies of six members of two families, one of Romanian descent and the other believed to be Indian citizens, were found Thursday and two more found Friday in the waters of the Mohawk community of Akwesasne, near the borders of Quebec, Ontario and New York State. Police said they perished trying to cross illegally into the United States from Canada, departing in a boat Wednesday night during high winds and rain.