Sunday November 11, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, NYS, USA.
A very cold day. The first snow of the year.  A total of 10 people (five adults and five children) crossed into Canada while we were there. As we waited a car arrived carrying a journalist from Dutch TV who spoke to us for a while.  They were visiting North America for two days and interviewing people in Canada and the US.

Eventually two taxis arrived. In one taxi there was a  single man and a family (mother, father and two children) and in the second taxi there was only a single man. They were all from Pakistan.  They appreciated the warm clothes and welcome.

About 15 mins later another taxi  arrived with a Nigerian woman and her 3 children, six to twelve years old.   The mother was visibly very upset  and  it seemed her greatest fear was that she would be separated from her children (as was done at the southern border in the US earlier this year).  We felt it really made a difference that we were there, though she was still upset going over the border. She too accepted some warm things for herself and her children.

The RCMP were polite and respected the protocol.

Sunday November 4, 2018.  Afternoon. Roxham Road,  NYS.

A cold day in early November. Only six people crossed into Canada while we were there.  They came in a shared taxi from the Plattsburgh bus station: one woman and a family of five.

A woman in your 20's from Uganda was traveling on her own. She carried only a small backpack and was happy to take mittens and a hat. When we let her know she would be arrested she became terrified and started to cry. We were able to reassure her she would not be hurt and that this was temporary. She started to calm down and bravely stepped up to the border.

The family of five included a mother, father, teenage daughter and two small twin boys. They were originally from Nigeria but had been living in a state on the east coast of the US before deciding they needed to seek asylum in Canada. They all needed warm things.  They had a lot of luggage and as they were struggling to carry the twins and organize the luggage the RCMP officer asked the Ugandan woman to help them carry things across.  She was happy to do this. 

The RCMP officer explained the protocol briefly and everyone entered Canada.  

Sunday October 28, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, USA.
A cold rainy day.  A total of 10 people entered Canada when we were there. The BnB volunteers waited for a long while at the border when two young women reporters from New York City arrived . They work for a publication called Business Insider.  They asked about our group and the situation at the border.

Around 4pm two taxis and a minibus arrived. In the first taxi were two man: one from Nigeria and the other from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  They had very little luggage and neither of the men were dressed warmly. They were very grateful to receive hats, scarves and mittens. The  second taxi brought two women. We did not have chance to talk to them because they crossed over the border  while we talked to the passengers of the minibus. The taxi driver told us that they had come from Nigeria. 

The passengers on the bus were Spanish speaking and came from Columbia:  two women, a 10 month old baby, a  four year old child and one man. They also had very little luggage and gratefully accepted some warm things.  The RCMP officers behaved appropriately with the refugees.  

Sunday, October 21, 2018.  Afternoon.  Roxham Road, USA. 
BnB volunteers arrived around 3:30 pm.  A chilly afternoon.  Not long afterwards a Plattsburgh Taxi arrived  delivering a woman from Nigeria with two young daughters (around 4 and 7 years old ). When addressed by the RCMP officer, the mother  answered quickly saying "Yes we want to come" and walked across with her children.  The taxi driver told us that no one else had come off the bus.   Around 4pm an SUV arrived driven by a freelance journalist from Chicago who asked us a few questions about our group.  He also said that he had a relative living nearby who wanted to donate some warm clothing to our group. 

Later a  second taxi arrived with a family from Columbia -  mother, father and a small daughter aged about  2 or 3 years old. As they spoke very little English, the RCMP officer spoke Spanish to them. They then crossed over into Canada.   With both groups of refugees, the RCMP officers respected their protocol.   A total of 6 people entered Canada while we were there.

Sunday October 14, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, USA.
A beautiful sunny autumn day. The colours of the leaves are at their best today.  The first taxi to arrive brings four people.  We speak first with a single woman in her 30's from the Democratic Republic of Congo,  She holds the hands of the volunteer. Her smile is beautiful and sad as she shares how hard it is in her country. She is afraid of to cross into Canada and be arrested and  yet brave at the same time.  The other people in the taxi are a young family from El Salvador - mother, father and one year old baby.  They seem nervous but excited to have arrived at the border and to take the next step.  The RCMP officer speaks in French to the Congolese woman. He then speaks in basic Spanish to the El Salvadorean family until he is told they speak English and he switches.  It sounded like he first said in Spanish 'You don't have a right to cross here.' which would not have been correct (see: http://www.bridgesnotborders.ca/myths-and-facts-2.html). All four cross into Canada without incident. 

Nearly an hour later a second taxi arrives bringing an Egyptian family from the train station - mother, father, teenage daughter, and two sons aged about 10 and 4.  They are tense and afraid as they struggle with their luggage.  We help out and speak with the mother who is in tears from fear and  all the stress of finally arriving here at the border.  Her little son is crying and so is her daughter.  The RCMP officer speaks gently to them explaining the protocol.  They finally cross over and another officer speaks kindly to the little boy.

Sunday October 7, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, USA. 

After waiting a while at the border, two taxis arrived transporting 2 groups of people.  The taxi drivers helped everyone with their luggage and showed them where to cross. The first taxi brought two women and one man from Burundi. They spoke English and French. The second taxi brought a family from Ethiopia, a mother and two teenage daughters, English speaking. The driver also offered them bottle water, but they declined.   When asked by an RCMP officer where they came from the mother said Dallas,Texas, but when questioned further said Ethiopia.  At first the RCMP officers were inside the building but then came out. One officer spoke very loudly  and  one of the Burundian woman  hesitated  at first, but then went across. into Canada.  

Sunday, September 30, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, USA.

A chilly autumn day. A total of  eight people crossed into Canada while we were there (six adults and two small children). The first taxi arrived bringing just one young man from Haiti who spoke only French. He crossed quickly into Canada. Next came a shuttle with 5 adults and two children from Nigeria. There was a young single woman with a baby and little girl who had to struggle with her children, stroller and luggage. There were three single men. Finally there was a single older woman who was very worried. According to the shuttle driver she had already gone to the official border and been refused entry into Canada due to the STCA.
 
There were four RCMP officers dealing with the asylum seekers. They were consistently polite and agreeable.

Sunday September 23, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, USA.
Two Bridges Not Borders volunteers waited at Roxham Road for more than two hours and no one arrived to cross into Canada.

Sunday September 9, 2018. Afternoon. Roxham Road, US.

A cooler sunny day, about 16C.  At 3.15 pm a young man from Haiti arrived by taxi with a baby boy in a car seat carrier. He said he was entering Canada at Roxham because he 'had no choice.' At 4pm a group of three young people from Rwanda - two women and one man - arrived on foot so it is likely they had been dropped off further south along the road. Next came two sisters from Yemen who arrived by taxi. They were followed by another taxi bringing a young woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo along with two young men from Syria.  And finally at 4.30 pm, a lone man from Pakistan, probably in his 30's, arrived in an airport taxi. When the RCMP mentioned the official border crossing nearby, this seemed to confuse him momentarily, but then he went across.  

The RCMP officers stuck to their protocol and even helped two groups with their luggage. In total 11 people - 10 adults and one baby - crossed into Canada  without incident.

Sunday September 2, 2018.  Afternoon. Roxham Road, US. 

A hot day. 18 people (11 children and 7 adults) crossed into Canada today. Everyone was of African origin but since people were nervous and did not want to talk, we don't know where they came from or how long they might have been in the US.  First a lone woman arrived in a taxi. Next came a family of five (parents and three children). Finally two families arrived in three taxis - a family of five (parents and three children) and a family of seven (parents and five children).  Everyone crossed without incident.

However the RCMP did not always stick to their protocol. At one point the officer said to one group that '' It'll be much better for you to go to the official border crossing.''  This is incorrect as it is possible that someone who goes to the Lacolle port of entry to ask for asylum in Canada will be refused entry and sent back to the United States. This is due to the Safe Third Country Agreement which is the reason why people are crossing irregularly at Roxham Road and other places along the border.