MONTREAL — A search continued Thursday in Quebec for a woman and two young children who went missing in woods near the U.S border after attempting to cross into Canada with three other people.
The RCMP say the other members of their group — two men and a woman — were arrested late Wednesday night after crossing the border illegally near Godmanchester, Que., a small municipality that borders New York state.
RCMP Cpl. Martina Pillarova said police interviewed the three people caught and learned a woman and two young children were missing in the forest.
Officers began searching the area, located 65 kilometres southwest of Montreal, shortly after midnight. Conditions were chilly, around 1 C.
They were being assisted by a tracking dog, a helicopter and resources from the Quebec provincial police.
"They might still be walking around in circles ... we don't know the situation," Pillarova said. "We don't know what happened to them."
No other information was available about the individuals. The three who were apprehended were placed in the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency.
Officials have reported a rise in the number of asylum seekers heading to the border with Canada since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
According to CBSA data from this week, the trend continues at the official border crossing at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, south of Montreal.
As of April 13, the number of claims this month stood at 1,411, compared to 319 on the same date last year.
The number of claims has been on the rise since the beginning of the year. In March, the CBSA reported 1,356 asylum claims, compared to 822 in 2024.
"To address this situation, additional resources have been put in place to ensure safe and secure border management," the CBSA said in a statement. "This number has no impact on the processing of travellers at the port of entry."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2025.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
