Public safety minister heading to Manitoba U.S. border site of illegal crossings

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale is set to arrive in Emerson, Man., today to observe what’s happening on the ground in the border town where dozens of people have crossed illegally into Canada in recent weeks. (Photo: Ralph Goodale/Facebook)

EMERSON, Man. — Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale is set to arrive in Emerson, Man., today to observe what’s happening on the ground in the border town where dozens of people have crossed illegally into Canada in recent weeks.

Goodale is expected to meet and thank local officials who played a major role assisting the people who have arrived in the small community since the start of the year.

Exactly how many people have crossed illegally into Canada in recent weeks is difficult to pin down.

Manitoba RCMP say 143 people had been intercepted as of Feb. 27, but expect to release new figures today.

Most of those who’ve crossed the border illegally have been declared eligible to make claims for asylum, so they will not face charges for the illegal crossings until those claims have been decided, a process that could take months.

Fellow Liberal cabinet minister Jim Carr, the minister responsible for Manitoba, is expected to accompany Goodale in Emerson.