Smuggling suspects charged after dozens of migrants found in truck near Quebec-U.S. border

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Three men have been arrested and charged after police intercepted a truck carrying 44 foreign nationals near Stanstead, Que., over the weekend, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says.

The vehicle was stopped by the RCMP and Quebec provincial police overnight from Saturday to Sunday near Haskell Rd., close to the U.S. border. Some of those aboard, including children, were taken into custody.

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Dogan Alakus and Firat Yuksek, both 31, as well as Ogulcan Mersin, 25, are now facing charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the CBSA said. They are accused of inducing, aiding or abetting individuals to enter Canada illegally, and of facilitating entry at a location other than a designated customs office.

All three men remain in custody and are expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

Miguel Bégin, the CBSA’s east border district director, told Radio-Canada on Monday that most of the migrants were transferred to the agency’s processing centre in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, where they are undergoing immigration examinations to determine their eligibility for asylum.

“It is highly likely that several migrants will be returned to the United States in the coming hours. Some were already returned yesterday because they did not meet the Safe Third Country Agreement exemption criteria,” Bégin said.

Asylum seekers who arrive in the U.S. before reaching Canada are usually turned back due to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which requires that they seek asylum in the first safe country they arrive in. There are exceptions to the agreement, including being married to a Canadian citizen.

The agency says the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges may be laid.

As of the end of July, the CBSA had processed 22,237 asylum claims across Canada, which is down just under 50 per cent from 41,187 at the same point last year. Quebec saw a similar decline, with claims dropping from 22,337 to 14,874.

— With files from The Canadian Press