Man who fled to Canada after Trudeau tweet believes feds benefit from keeping Roxham Road open

"Closing it is not a solution," says Lovejoyce Amavi, on the irregular border crossing of Roxham Road. He used it in 2017 to come to Canada, explaining that a Justin Trudeau tweet saved his life. Alyssia Rubertucci reports.

By Alyssia Rubertucci

Posted February 23, 2023 1:59 pm.

Last Updated February 23, 2023 6:32 pm.

A man who fled Togo and came to Canada nearly six years ago – in large part roused by a tweet by Justin Trudeau – wants to see the irregular border crossing of Roxham Road remain open.

Lovejoyce Amavi, who wrote a book about his experience fleeing West Africa, came to Canada to seek refuge in 2017. He crossed into the country at Roxham Road in Lacolle, Que.

Quebec Premier François Legault has been demanding for months that Ottawa stop the flow of migrants into the country. He wants the federal government to close the southern Quebec border crossing.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre added his voice to the Quebec premier’s calls, saying Trudeau should shut down the rural crossing within 30 days.

That’s not the right decision, believes Amavi.

“Yes, it puts pressure on the administration which must manage the people’s reception,” he said. “But closing it is not a solution because we won’t be able to stop people who want to leave their territory for different reasons.”

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Amavi believes having such a popular border crossing such as Roxham Road is actually to Ottawa’s benefit.

“If we close the road, with the massive border, there will be many more Roxham Roads,” he said. “That will be harder to control. On the other hand, if the path is structured it allows the federal administration to send them through the normal asylum application process.

“And at the border, we can already ensure that people are directed to the province where they want to live.”

Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement

The prime minister said the best way to close Roxham Road is to renegotiate the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement.

On Thursday Trudeau confirmed the topic of border security will be on the agenda when U.S. President Joe Biden visits Canada next month.

“He understands at what point it’s a priority for Canada, and it’s a shared priority, to work together to ensure the security of our shared border,” Trudeau said of Biden.

Under the Safe Third Country Agreement signed by Washington and Ottawa in 2002, most asylum seekers cannot make claims at official border crossings between the two countries.

But the agreement doesn’t apply to people who illegally cross into Canada outside of a border station, most of whom are not prosecuted because they file an asylum claim.

The federal government has reported that more than 39,000 people claimed asylum in Quebec in 2022 after crossing into Canada outside official ports of entry, mostly through Roxham Road.

WATCH: ‘People will choose to cross elsewhere:’ Trudeau on calls to close Roxham Road

Trudeau’s tweet ‘saved our lives’

Amavi fled political persecution in Togo. He first went to Ivory Coast and then ended up fleeing to the U.S. in April 2017, where he could have claimed refugee status.

“American society scared me,” said Amavi. “I say in the book that I was invited out and the young men I was with all had weapons on them. Not long before, there was a massacre in a school, so I said, is this where I want to live?”

Then he became aware of Trudeau’s January 2017 tweet.

“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith,” wrote the Canadian prime minster. “Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada”

“That’s what saved our lives,” said Amavi.

To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2017

He decided to flee the U.S. with a wave of Haitians doing the same. He took a taxi from Plattsburgh, N.Y., to the border, where he entered Quebec illegally at Roxham Road.

“We wanted to get arrested because getting arrested, in fact, is a way of getting in touch right away with the administration to be able to file our asylum application,” he said.

“You arrive in another country after crossing several borders and even oceans. And when they say, ‘you will be able to stay with us, we will protect you,’ that’s really, really comforting.”

Now a permanent resident, Amavi detailed his journey in “Une histoire du Chemin Roxham: Je n’ai pas choisi de partir.”

—With files from The Canadian Press