With as many as 250 displaced people crossing into Canada from the United States every day - up from 50 just two weeks ago - Canadian soldiers are to help build a temporary camp for 500 asylum seekers who cross the remote Roxham Road border point in northern New York state and southern Quebec.

The military said the soldiers would help the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada

Border Services Agency at the site but would not be involved in security operations. The soldiers will also install lighting and heating equipment.

Canadian police have already set up a reception center in the Quebec community of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Montreal, which is 300 miles (480 kilometers) over the border north of New York City.

A family from Haiti approach a tent in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle

Safe Country Agreement

Despite the apparent goodwill effort, the Immigration Ministry has published a Facebook post discouraging unauthorized crossings and is attempting to put an end to rumors that Canada has invited displaced people to seek refuge.

Under the 2002 Safe Country Agreement between the United States and Canada, migrants seeking asylum must apply in their country of arrival. But if migrants arrive in Canada at a location other than a port of entry, such as Roxham Road, they are allowed to request refugee status there.

About 50,000 Haitians had sought refuge in the United States following a massive earthquake in 2010. Many of them now face deportation.

Read more: Haitian 'climate refugees' hit dead end at US border

Canada's government has ended its own temporary refugee program for displaced Haitians.

Authorities accepted 50.5 percent of the 410 refugee claims by Haitians heard in 2016, government data show.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Haitian migrants' long journey For Haitians who chose to leave the country after the devastating 2010 earthquake, exile often began in Brazil, which had a surplus of low-wage jobs and welcomed them with humanitarian visas. But political and economic turmoil there caused many to leave for the US, under the mistaken impression they would be taken in. Over 8,000 have found themselves stranded in Tijuana at the Mexican border.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live On the way to 'Little Haiti' In the Canyon of the Scorpions, the Ambassadors of Jesus church has started building "Little Haiti" to host 225 Haitian migrants now living in the church hall. Many of the Haitians complain the settlement is hard to access: It is almost 30 minutes from the city and people need to take two buses to get here.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Everyday life in Tijuana A Haitian man gives another man a haircut in "Little Haiti." The settlement is located next to a dump, which gives off an overwhelming smell. The Haitians find the unhygienic conditions and lack of clean drinking water alarming. Migrants have been living in slums here for around 20 years. Local media worry the canyon could become a vast ghetto.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Barely making a living Most Haitians manage to make a living in Tijuana, although the informal jobs they find do not allow them to send money to their families, and their earnings are barely enough to pay rent in the city. Often they earn less than $1 an hour. Such economic hardship makes every day a struggle for survival.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Overcrowded shelters Numerous churches opened new shelters for migrants at the height of the Haitian influx in the second half of 2016. Mexican media put the number of shelters in Tijuana at 33, none of which are run by local authorities. Were it not for the generosity of Tijuana's residents, the shelters would have quickly run out of food, clothes and other necessities.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Local solidarity Linda Romero is the director of the Juventud 2000 shelter, where around 200 Haitian migrants, deported Mexicans and homeless people receive material and emotional support each day. She believes her mission is to help people regardless of their nationality.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Warm welcome for all Despite the scarcity of space and sanitary facilities, the Emmanuel Baptist Center has become home to around 100 migrants. The atmosphere is welcoming across cultures. Women and children especially feel safe here.

Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live Hope in Canada Haitian youth pray during a Catholic mass at the Desayunador Salesiano shelter, which serves around 1,500 meals to deported Mexicans and Haitian and Central American migrants each day. The Haitians here are relying on a Canadian priest to help them establish whether Canada might accept them as climate refugees. Author: Valerio Muscella (Tijuana)



No guaranteed refuge

From January 1 to June 30, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - the agency responsible for securing borders between legal crossings - has intercepted 4,345 displaced people, according to statistics provided by the federal government. More than 3,350 people crossed into the province of Quebec, while 646 crossed into Manitoba and 332 people crossed into British Columbia.

The Trump administration's targeting of displaced people in the United States has led thousands to such unofficial crossings, such as Roxham Road. Trump plans to cut legal immigration by 50 percent over the next 10 years.

Quebec's provincial authorities have announced that they plan to turn the city's shuttered Royal Victoria Hospital into a shelter that will house about 320 people. Last week, municipal authorities in Montreal had to create a temporary shelter at the city's Olympic Stadium to accommodate hundreds more.

To qualify for political asylum, applicants must prove that they cannot return to their countries of origin "because of a well-founded fear of persecution," "risk to their life, or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment," according to Immigration and Citizenship Canada. Canada appears on track to receive the most asylum claims in almost a decade.

mkg/cmk (Reuters, dpa)