Canada Has ‘Limited Capacity’ for Asylum Seekers, Immigration Minister Says as US Suspends Refugee Program

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 5, 2024. The Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada is limited in its ability to welcome more asylum seekers as the United States suspends its refugee resettlement program.

Miller told reporters on Jan. 24 that Canada will continue to be “a humanitarian country,” but that there are limits to how many immigrants it can welcome.

“But if there are opportunities, we'll certainly look at them.”

Canada has reduced its immigration targets by 20 percent for 2025, including refugees.

The immigration minister said Canada is currently housing 50,000 Afghans and more than 300,000 Ukrainians. The country has also welcomed tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.

Miller called the U.S. decision “unfortunate,” but that country’s decision to make.

“We'll continue to do our job as a country that does have a heart and does care about resettlement of people that are fleeing war.”

The White House said the suspension of the program was needed because the U.S. has been “inundated with record levels of migration,” including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

“It is the policy of the United States to ensure that public safety and national security are paramount considerations in the administration of the USRAP [U.S. Refugee Admissions Program], and to admit only those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States,” said U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending the program.

The presidential order says the secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security may still admit applicants as refugees on a case-by-case basis.

Canada is bracing for a potential influx of refugees due to the U.S. decision.

Canadian authorities are looking at opening an additional processing centre for asylum seekers near the United States border in Quebec.

The government has issued a notice it is looking for space within 15 kilometres of the border crossing at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que.

It said the building needs to accommodate reception and meal distribution and have a waiting area for up to 200 people.

US Deportations Begin

Another aspect of Trump’s immigration plan is to deport those who entered the country illegally.

Those deportations began Friday, according to the president’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

“President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences,” she said in a post on the X platform.

Jack Phillips and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.