Brad Renout thought he heard a bunch of late-night revelers outside his Emerson home around 6 a.m. this past Saturday. When he stepped out to load his truck for work, 16 people who had illegally crossed the border were in his driveway.
Renout planned to leave them out there until he saw there were children, including one frozen little girl.
"She had tears as wide as her eyes coming down her face and I don't agree with this type of immigration, but I felt terrible for this kid. It haunts me, this kid," he said.
Renout helped her up and warmed up her feet.
He moved to Emerson a decade ago and said people have been crossing ever since.
He doesn't blame U.S. President Donald Trump for the spike in illegal crossings. He blames Canada's prime minister.
"Ever since Justin Trudeau opened his big mouth and said everyone is welcome in Canada, it just got stupid around here," he said.
READ MORE: RCMP appeal to American community leaders to stop border crossings
In Quebec, RCMP have seen the most dramatic increase in crossing. On Friday, a family from Sudan made a mad dash across the U.S.-Canada border.
In Manitoba, 28 people illegally crossed near Emerson this past weekend, including a six-month-old baby.
READ MORE: 'Left with no options:' U.S. Somalis not surprised many refugees eyeing Canada
Renout doesn't want to find another group on his property.
“It's disgraceful that they keep crossing the border, to be honest. I think they should go through the proper channels, to be honest,” Renaud said.
