N.B. accepts asylum seekers from Quebec's Roxham Road, 'ready to do its part,' minister says

New Brunswick has accepted 57 asylum seekers who originally made their claim at the Roxham Road border crossing in Quebec.

In February, Quebec Premier François Legault sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking that migrants applying for asylum at the Roxham Road border crossing be redirected to other provinces. He said Quebec can't handle any more.

Roxham Road crosses the Canada-U.S. border between Quebec and New York and is located about 50 kilometres south of Montreal. It's long been an unofficial border crossing for asylum seekers looking to get into Canada.

Last year, about 39,000 people applied for asylum at the border, Legault said. It's not clear how many of them stayed in Quebec.

In a Friday statement, Arlene Dunn, the Minister responsible for Opportunities N.B., said the province "has welcomed 57 asylum claimants" from Quebec. She said 36 are in Fredericton and 21 in Moncton.

She said they arrived by bus through the process set in place by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

"New Brunswick is ready to do its part to respond to the influx of asylum seekers crossing from the United States to Quebec," she said.

New Brunswick officials are still working to confirm the number of claimants that "our province will be welcoming in the short-term," she said.

Dunn said the federal government is providing support to those arriving in New Brunswick, but did not respond to questions about what kind of resources are available.

At a news conference alongside federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, Dunn said all 57 have completed a skills questionnaire.

"We were there with the multicultural associations on the ground, speaking with them, understanding their circumstances, understanding where they were coming from, getting a better understanding of their skill sets, of their language capabilities," she said.

"Our priority is to make sure that we assist them in getting employment and settling into our communities and helping them thrive."

Unlike provinces like Quebec and Ontario, New Brunswick does not provide legal aid services to refugee claimants who can't afford a lawyer. 

The New Brunswick Refugee Clinic is a Moncton-based group that helps claimants with the legal process for free. Executive director Olivia Huynh said the clinic is the only one of its kind in the province, and has only one employee — Huynh herself. Last year, with the help of three volunteer lawyers, she represented about 30 people, she said.