The migrant, who was found frozen to death near the US border last week, may have been the victim of a smuggler who left him too far from his illegal border crossing into the United States in the middle of a snowstorm.
• Also read: The Haitian community is shocked by the death of migrant Fritznel Richard
According to the deceased’s widow, before arriving at the border, he had a falling out with the dearly paid Montreal smuggler. He suffered serious consequences.
“The smuggler let him get out of the car in the middle of the forest and let him run in the wrong direction in the middle of the storm,” emphasizes Guenda Filius in an interview, very shocked by the tragic death of her husband Fritznel Richard.
Photo from Fritznel Richard’s Instagram account
The victim who died from the common cold, Fritznel Richard.
Ms. Filius somehow witnessed the drama live, as her husband contacted her by phone as soon as he was evicted from the smuggler’s car near Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle in Montérégie on the evening of December 23.
“I told him to call the police, but he didn’t and still tried to cross the border on foot,” she explains.
“It’s very sad. It’s so tragic,” she says, devastated, her voice broken with emotion.
We met her on the west coast of Florida where she is staying with relatives. At her request, we will not reveal the city where she is located for security reasons.
It is clear to her that the smuggler has put her husband’s life in danger because of the extreme winter conditions. The December 23 storm was marked by heavy snowfall and strong winds.
Mr Richard was spotted a few steps from the border on the Canadian side late last week by a US government helicopter.
His disappearance was reported by Ms. Filius on December 26, three days after she lost contact with him. According to the Sûreté du Québec, everything indicates that he died of hypothermia.
The migrant attempted to enter the United States illegally to be reunited with his wife and young boy in Florida.
He had spent several months in Montreal, having come down the Roxham Road from the United States. He tried to get refugee status in Canada.
Mrs. Filius knows the smuggler her husband used well. In October, she used her services from Montreal to cross the US border. She was luckier as everything went smoothly.
It was enough for her to walk through the woods for about ten minutes from the point where she was dropped off by the smuggler to find herself in the United States. When she was over, she hailed a cab that took her to the Plattsburgh bus station.
However, the bill was hefty: $1,300 for a nearly 45-minute ride between Montreal and the border.
She accidentally got the contact details of the smuggler from a conversation with other migrants.
Despite our best efforts, it was impossible to speak to the smuggler in question.
– With the collaboration of Jonathan Tremblay and Camille Payant
NUMBER OF PEOPLE DETAINED BY US BORDER AGENTS IN 2022:
- January : 24
- April: 84
- July : 142
- September : 236
- November : 393
Guenda Filius currently resides in a modest Florida home near a busy mall, surrounded by her family and her 19-month-old baby boy, whose father was Fritznel Richard.
She admits that she never adjusted to life in Quebec, where she lived only a few months after arriving in the country via the Roxham Road with her husband.
Photo Jules Richer
Guenda Filius was met in Florida, where she currently resides, and is mourning the loss of her husband, who is said to have been abandoned by a smuggler.
“We had no money. It was cold and I felt nauseous,” she said of her desire to return to the United States.
She and her husband wanted to work in Montreal to improve their fortunes while awaiting eventual refugee status.
However, due to the administrative delays currently in place at Immigration Canada, they were never able to obtain a work permit.
Keep in mind that refugee applicants cannot apply in Canada arriving from the United States and vice versa, under the “Safe Third Countries Agreement” signed by the two countries.
Between August and November, 54 migrants of Haitian origin were detained by US Customs from Canada.
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