Search underway for woman, 2 young children near Quebec-U.S. border

A search and rescue operation is underway for a woman and two young children who are believed to have crossed the border from the United States into Canada overnight.

RCMP said the search was launched at around midnight Thursday in the area surrounding Trout River, Que., in the Montérégie region, after two men and a woman were arrested Wednesday night for illegally entering the country. 

RCMP spokesperson Martina Pillarova said it was only during interviews with the trio that officers learned of the missing woman and children.

The search operation has since been taken over by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). 

The ages of the children have not been confirmed, but the SQ told CBC they are believed to be as young as three years old.

Pillarova said medical emergency services were also on standby as there were concerns for their safety. 

"They might be injured or dehydrated," Pillarova said, more than 10 hours after the search began.

There is an official border crossing at Trout River that links the municipality of Elgin, Que., to Constable, N.Y., which is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days.

Elgin's general manager Guylaine Cloutier said that illegal crossings have increased since U.S. President Donald Trump's second term began, but noted it's not a new issue.

"It's always existed," she said, adding that although it's worrisome, there's not much the municipality can do to help. 

"We don't have the capacity or resources," she said. 

The Trump administration's crackdown on immigration has coincided with a steadily increasing number of asylum claims by would-be refugees in Quebec.

U.S. Homeland Security said last month it was revoking the temporary status of 532,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who flew to the country at their own expense with a financial sponsor. It ends April 24.

The Trump administration has also announced an end to Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans and about 500,000 Haitians — set to expire in August — though a federal judge temporarily put that on hold.