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Nineteen asylum seekers of Haitian origin were arrested Thursday night in the Havelock area of Montérégie, Que., according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they were alerted to the group by the United States Border Patrol shortly before 6 p.m.
The asylum seekers, ranging in age from one to 60, were intercepted after allegedly crossing illegally from the United States into Canada.
Officers from the Champlain and Valleyfield integrated border enforcement teams first located a group of 15 people hiding in the woods at around 7 p.m., an RCMP spokesperson said in an email Friday.
“The search continued until about 10:30 p.m., in extreme cold, to find the remaining individuals,” the RCMP spokesperson said.
According to police, eight people were transported to hospital, including six who required treatment for frostbite.
“The two young children were also taken to the hospital as a precaution. Based on available information, their lives are not in danger,” the RCMP spokesperson said.
Police also arrested one man under Section 117 of the Customs Act, after officers had reason to believe he was in the area to pick up several of the migrants with his vehicle.
The RCMP confirmed that all of the intercepted individuals requested asylum and were transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency. The vehicle was seized, and the investigation remains ongoing.
