Chemin Roxham an ex fugitive saved by a tweet from Justin

Chemin Roxham: an ex-fugitive saved by a tweet from Justin Trudeau

A man who crossed Roxham Road in 2017 is now a permanent resident. Lovejoyce Amavi has just written a book about his experience and is campaigning to keep the passage open.

• Also read: Roxham: homeless asylum seekers

• Also read: Ottawa wants to close Roxham Road “for several years,” says Trudeau

It was a tweet by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in January 2017 that lured him to the country to seek refuge.

In his opinion, this tweet saved his life and that of many other asylum seekers.


The adopted Longueillois, who is involved in the community, believes that not all asylum seekers who walk the path intend to stay in Quebec.

“Some speak English and it’s expensive to frank for results that aren’t the most meaningful,” he told TVA Nouvelles on Wednesday.

Mr Amavi also proposes a solution to prevent community organizations from overflowing once migrants arrive at the border.

“What you have to do is ask them which province they want to go to and also ask the other provinces to take some of those people who are arriving.

“If we keep everyone in Quebec, the community organizations will indeed be saturated.”

Justin Trudeau was due to travel to Longueuil on Wednesday afternoon to meet Mayor Catherine Fournier. Immigration would be one of the items on the agenda.