border visit, may 6 2018

Sunday May 6th, 2018.  3.30pm - 6.30pm. Roxham Road, USA
A sunny pleasant day about 15C. In total 18 people crossed into Canada. First came a group of three people from Venezuela, a mother and teenage son and a young man. They spoke only Spanish and were very confused as they stood at the border. They did not understand what the RCMP officer said to them but saw her pointing in the direction of Lacolle.  The teenage boy turned and was about to get back into the taxi but his mother called him back. The BnB volunteer told her  in broken Spanish it would be ok and not to be afraid. They then crossed over. 

Next a taxi arrived with 2 Nigerian women and three children. The officer said 'if you want to apply for asylum legally you must go to Lacolle'. Subsequently a single Nigerian woman in her late 30's arrived and the officer repeated the same phrase to her.  

Later in the afternoon a single man of African origin arrived and when he went across the border there was no RCMP present. They accosted him after he crossed,  Some 20 minutes later a Nigerian family arrived- mother, father, two teenage girls and two small children. The RCMP officer kept to their protocol and did not say anything off-script. Finally a single woman from west Africa arrived with a small baby on her back.  There was no officer at the border when she walked across.