In the Fall of 2017, a small group of activists in Hemmingford, Quebec, began standing in solidarity with asylum seekers crossing into Quebec from the United States at Roxham Road, a rural unofficial crossing point between the U.S. and Canada. What began as a modest effort to provide information and support grew into a larger project of advocacy, community building, and bearing witness to the struggles of displaced people.
Hemmingford is a small rural farming community in Quebec, on the border with the United States. Just outside Hemmigford lies Roxham Road, which became a critical entry point for asylum seekers following a shift in U.S. immigration policy during the first Trump administration. In January 2017 Prime Minister Trudeau declared “To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canada will welcome you, regardless of your faith.”
This message resonated deeply, particularly with the approximately 59,000 Haitians who the U.S. government had just stripped of protected status they had due to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Along with others, those Haitians took the call to heart—and Roxham Road became the key route for entering Canada under the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which regulates asylum claims between Canada and the U.S.
As the U.S. government ramps up its declared war on undocumented people and refugees in the United States, communities across Canada must once again prepare themselves to support the arrival of people fleeing persecution. This will look very different this time as Roxham Road is no longer an entry point due to the 2024 expansion of the SCTA.
But there are a number of lessons organizers can learn from Hemmingford, where locals organized their community to support asylum seekers crossing into Canada.
Bridges not Borders
It started when local citizens noticed increased traffic along Roxham Road. Community members, led by a United Church minister, organized a meeting to better understand the situation. Volunteers began bringing food, toys and hygiene products to the people waiting to be processed by the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) at the Lacolle Port of Entry, the closest one to Roxham Road. When the flow of asylum seekers reached as many as 400 per day, the federal government called the Red Cross and the volunteers had to back away.
In September 2017 some local folks set up a booth at a popular arts and crafts fair, known as The Woolgathering, and handed out buttons that said “Welcome Refugees/ Bienvenue aux Réfugiés.” A local artist created beautiful wooden artwork for the event, bearing the phrase “Bridges not Borders,” which would soon come to be the name of the local organization.
By November 2017, momentum had grown and a small group of people invited community members to come together over a pot of lentil soup to discuss possible next steps in voicing solidarity with asylum seekers. They established Bridges not Borders (BnotB) with over 25 people in attendance, including some people with connections to organizations already supporting asylum seekers.
Organizers formed subgroups to explore future options for the group. They were very interested in creating art, standing in solidarity with asylum seekers, educating the public and collaborating with other organizations to advocate for the end of the STCA by declaring the U.S. an unsafe country for refugees.
Over the past seven years BnotB has operated with an informal structure, coordinated by two to three coordinators, with members taking on tasks or sub group work and reporting back at each meeting. The group has an active membership ranging from eight to 15 people fluctuating over time. There are another approximately 50 people who have participated at various points.
The group has three objectives—providing direct support to refugees at the border, sharing information about refugee issues, and lobbying at local, provincial, and federal levels.
The core activity of BnotB was one of concrete solidarity with those crossing irregularly into Canada at Roxham Road. Every Sunday afternoon, two volunteers crossed the border and stood on the American side with donated hats, mitts, scarves or water in the summer—along with information on asylum seekers rights, smiles and words of solidarity.
On the other six days Plattsburgh Cares (a sister organization on the U.S. side of the border) stood with asylum seekers for several hours most days. This went on until the government closed the crossing during the pandemic in March 2020, and then again sporadically after it reopened in November 2021 before being closed permanently in March 2023.
This meant BnotB members were the only Canadian citizens to systematically bear witness to events at Roxham Road. It led to meetings with the RCMP to advocate for better training of their officers and to report on improper conduct by officers. One complaint resulted in the removal of an officer at Roxham. BnotB also built relationships with taxi drivers transporting asylum seekers from the Plattsburgh bus stop, providing them with information to share with passengers.
BnotB’s presence at Roxham also positioned the group as a key source for media coverage, which helped to shape public discourse around irregular migration into Canada. Between 2017 and January 2025, members conducted over 60 interviews with local, national and international news outlets. This media work not only raised awareness but also led to donations of hats, mitts and financial donations from across Canada. Interviews were used to highlight the plight of asylum seekers and advocate for the abolition of the STCA.
BnotB supported legal challenges to the STCA by the The Canadian Council of Refugees, Amnesty International and The Canadian Council of Churches, as well as efforts by the Canadian Association for Refugee Lawyers (CARL) and various petitions.
Other activities the group undertook included:
Website: The group launched a multilingual website to provide information to asylum seekers and share updates, blog posts, and advocacy actions in English, French and Spanish. The website has reached thousands over the years. It continues to be unique in providing the breadth of information about coming to Canada at a land border.
Public education: BnotB organized or participated in public meetings, conferences, and events, including a solidarity march from Montreal to Roxham Road in June 2023 (spearheaded by the Welcome Collective and the Clinique de justice migrante) and an information meeting in Hemmingford organized in collaboration with Solidarity Across Borders. Members also spoke at high schools, universities, churches, and community organizations.
Cross-border collaboration: BnotB was active in forming and continues to participate in Canada U.S. Cross Border Network, a coalition of organizations and lawyers working to share knowledge and support asylum seekers. This work helped establish the Canada-US Border Rights Clinic which provides virtual legal advice to those seeking asylum along the border.
Collaboration with refugee-serving organizations: There has been ongoing collaboration with refugee-related organizations such as the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnees réfugees et immigrantes (which brings together refugee serving organizations in Montreal), UNHCR Montreal and Caring for Social Justice (Valleyfield); sharing information and actions.
Community building: BnotB hosted three annual picnics, bringing together former asylum seekers and community members, showcasing Hemmingford as more than a militarized entry point for asylum seekers.
Countering the far right: BnotB organized several events to counter far right demonstrations along the border, including a picnic held at a farm on Roxaham while blasting John Lennon’s song ‘Give Peace a Chance’ as a peaceful response to hate while far right groups marched past.
Publications: The group has produced informational materials and maintained a regular presence in local publications like Info Hemmingford and The Gleaner. A member published an op-ed in the Montreal Gazette, and BnotB has submitted numerous letters and briefs to policymakers.
Political Advocacy: BnotB has met with federal and provincial politicians across party lines to advocate for refugee rights and the abolition of the STCA.
Emergency Support: During the pandemic, BnotB provided information, funding, and legal referrals to asylum seekers turned away at the Lacolle Port of Entry. Members also sporadically assisted those stranded at the Plattsburgh bus stop between November 2021 and March 2023.
Ongoing vigilance: Since the closing of Roxham, the group has had an occasional presence at Roxham and at the bus station in Plattsburgh. It collects testimonies from local residents about RCMP presence and arrests along border roads. Interviews continue to be given to the media.
Deepening solidarity in a time of deep crisis
The election of President Trump has heightened concerns about the safety of asylum seekers in the U.S. BnotB, leveraging its media relationships and website reach, recommitted to its mission, emphasizing solidarity with asylum seekers and the urgent need for Canada to withdraw from the STCA. The group’s message is focused on concern for asylum seekers—not of them, countering rising anti-refugee sentiment in both the U.S. and Canada.
While the group’s efforts alone cannot shift the broader political landscape, they are part of the vital fabric of resistance. By showing up at the border, maintaining a clear purpose, having a simple organizational structure, hosting a website, fostering connections with many other organizations, providing educational information, offering specific support to some asylum seekers and hanging in for the long haul through community building, BnotB has built a model for how communities can resist. In a world where over 120 million people are forcibly displaced, these acts of solidarity and advocacy remind us of the importance of building bridges not borders—particularly in times of crisis.
