Commonwealth_ The return of Donald Trump as President of the United States has triggered new security measures along the Canada-U.S. border. In response to Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian imports unless irregular migration and illegal drug trafficking are curbed, Canadian federal and provincial governments have committed additional resources to border enforcement. Despite temporary relief, Trump’s tariff threats may still materialize.
Research has shown that stricter border policies do not necessarily deter migration. Instead, increased border policing forces migrants to take more remote and dangerous routes, often leading to higher reliance on human smuggling networks. A direct consequence of heightened border security is a rise in human suffering and fatalities.
Our research into deaths along the Canada-U.S. border has recorded at least 38 migrant fatalities, though the actual number is likely much higher. We are deeply concerned that additional border security measures will exacerbate these dangers and result in further deaths. Recent incidents highlight these concerns: on February 4, a migrant died in a car chase with the RCMP, while on February 3, nine people were arrested while attempting to cross into Canada under perilous winter conditions.
Crossing the Canada-U.S. Border
Every day, people from various parts of the world cross the Canada-U.S. border. Most do so legally through designated ports of entry. However, some migrants attempt irregular crossings in both directions without official authorization.
Since irregular crossings are inherently clandestine, it is impossible to determine exactly how many people enter Canada or the U.S. without permission. Border security agencies track “encounters” and “apprehensions” in the U.S. and the “interception” of asylum seekers in Canada. However, there is no unified methodology for estimating the extent of irregular crossings in either country.
Policy changes in both nations influence irregular border crossing trends. Migrants’ perceptions of American immigration policies and adjustments to the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement have notably impacted these trends. Seeking official data, we filed access-to-information requests in both Canada and the U.S. The RCMP acknowledged only one death in Canada, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not provide any data. As a result, we compiled and analyzed media reports to document border deaths.
Our findings indicate that approximately three-quarters of migrants whose deaths were covered in news reports were traveling toward the U.S., with their remains mostly recovered on the Canadian side of the border. Migrants attempting irregular crossings face multiple threats, with drowning posing the most significant risk—23 of the 38 documented deaths were due to drowning, followed by six cases of hypothermia.
Three migrants died during encounters with border patrol agents: two were fatally shot on the American side, while one perished in a car crash while being pursued by Canadian authorities. The lack of available official data is concerning. After more than a year and an independent complaint investigation into the RCMP’s non-response to our request, Canadian officials provided details on only one death. In the U.S., our request yielded no information.
Researchers in both countries frequently encounter obstacles, including slow processing times and unproductive results when requesting official data. This situation suggests that border enforcement agencies in both Canada and the U.S. do not systematically track migrant deaths along the shared border. The absence of official data presents a significant issue. The public remains uninformed, and potential migrants lack access to critical information about the dangers of irregular border crossings.
It is especially perplexing that American authorities do not report deaths along the Canada-U.S. border, considering that fatalities along the U.S.-Mexico border are regularly tracked and publicly disclosed. If a deliberate policy decision has been made not to record deaths along the northern border, it signals an alarming disregard for human lives and an effort to obscure the full scope of the issue from public scrutiny.
Both the Canadian and American governments must revise their approach to tracking and reporting border-related fatalities. A transparent and comprehensive documentation system should be established to ensure all known cases are publicly reported. Increased accountability and awareness are essential for mitigating further loss of life and fostering informed discussions about border security and migration policies.
