People: Outreach Efforts and Border

people: The numbers had been slowly decreasing since May a downward trend the federal government had attributed to its outreach efforts as it continues to try to send the message that crossing the Canada-U.S. border at non-official entry points is not a free ticket into Canada, according to Vancouver Courier. Despite last month's increase, the monthly totals are still lower than those in March and April and represent half the number of people who arrived in July of last year. Newly published federal data shows a total of 1,634 irregular migrants were apprehended by RCMP between official border crossings last month.article continues below Trending Stories How a Romanian pop singer's quirky ode to Vancouver became a viral hit Vancouver man claims he was targeted by police because of his race Summer wild fires and smoke-clogged skies the new normal in B.C. Jean Swanson sentenced to jail time over pipeline protest That's 371 more than the number of people who crossed irregularly into Canada in June. While these latest numbers are promising, Canadians expect all levels of government to work together to live up to our international and humanitarian obligations, said Mathieu Genest, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. Ottawa has responded to the influx with an increase in spending of 173 million for improved border security, temporary housing and to help address a major backlog in refugee claims processing at the Immigration and Refugee Board. The issue of irregular border crossers has been an ongoing headache for the Trudeau government, with concerns being raised by officials in Quebec and Ontario about millions in unanticipated costs incurred from the vast majority of asylum seekers seeking housing, social assistance and schooling in Montreal and Toronto as they await the outcome of their refugee claims. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.