Migrants found hiding in frigid woods after entering Quebec from U.S.

Nineteen undocumented migrants were arrested in southern Quebec Thursday evening after they illegally entered Canada from the United States, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Police said they began searching for the migrants after they received a report from the United States Border Patrol shortly before 6 p.m.

Around an hour later, officers found 15 people hiding in the woods near Havelock, Que., around 53 kilometres south of Montreal, the RCMP said.

“The search continued until about 10:30 p.m., in extreme cold, to find the remaining individuals,” the RCMP said in an emailed statement.

The migrants are of Haitian origin and range in age from one to 60, police said, adding that they have all requested asylum.

Eight of the migrants were transported to a hospital. Six of those people required treatment for frostbite, police said, adding that two young children who were with the group were taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Another man was arrested under the Customs Act, police said, “as officers had reason to believe he was near the area to pick up several of these migrants with his vehicle.”

That vehicle was seized, the RCMP said, and the investigation is ongoing.

Crossing the border illegally is extremely dangerous for migrants and for police, the RCMP said, especially in the winter.

“People who cross illegally are often poorly equipped and inadequately dressed for the weather. The terrain is also very difficult to access in certain areas,” the police said.