Manitoba RCMP said dozens of people illegally crossed the Canadian-United States border over the weekend, with seven crossing overnight Monday.
Police said they intercepted two groups near Emerson, Man. overnight Sunday into Monday.
According to the police, the first group was four people, and the second group had three people.
This brings the year-to-date total to 69, police said.
Over the weekend, the RCMP said they are working closely with Canadian and U.S. officials, and can respond to the evolving environment encountered at the border.
On Thursday, RCMP said it would allocate more resources to patrol the border near Emerson to help apprehend and direct refugee claimants to the Canada Border Services Agency.
Police said they will continue to provide updates on the crossings, but will not release the nationalities or ages of those crossing.
Welcome Place receives emergency grant for influx of asylum seekers:
The Welcome Place said it received thousands of dollars in emergency grants to help deal with the surge of asylum seekers in Manitoba.
However, the organization, which houses newcomers to Winnipeg, explained it still needs more resources to keep up with the demand.
On Monday, the facility said its housing complex is full, with no space to shelter asylum seekers who have been crossing the border into Manitoba.
It said the Winnipeg Foundation provided the shelter with $33,000 in emergency grants. That money will be used for off-site accommodations for refugees, supports and services, staffing costs and other necessities.
“The Winnipeg Foundation has provided support for our In-Canada Protection Services program when there was very little other financial support available,” said Welcome Place Executive Director Rita Chahal.
“The Foundation’s support was critical to ensuring the program continued and maintaining expertise of key staff. We are appreciative The Foundation is once again stepping forward."
READ MORE: Asylum seekers face challenges, dodge patrols on both sides of U.S.-Canada border
Chahal said they usually deal with between 60 to 70 refugee claimants each year. Since April 2016, the center had nearly 300 claimants.
While Chahal said they are thankful for the emergency grants, additional funding and supplies are still needed.
“The refugee claimants entering Canada this past weekend included a six-month-old infant and two children under four,” Chahal said.
“We are in need of additional resources to help the refugee claimants to navigate the social and legal systems as they prepare for their claim hearing.
