Illegal border crossings in Quebec hit their highest level of the year in June, according to new data released by the federal government on Friday afternoon.

During that month, the RCMP intercepted 781 individuals attempting to cross into the province from the United States between official ports of entry and claim asylum. That number greatly exceeds the month of May’s tally of 576, and even the previous monthly high for the province, which was 672 crossings in April.

Meanwhile, Canada’s other illegal crossing hotspot, Manitoba, actually saw a considerable decline — almost cut in half from 106 illegal border crossings in May to 63 in June.

After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted #WelcometoCanada on social media in January and made other inviting remarks in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel and refugee ban, many media outlets around the world and voices on social media interpreted this as a sign that Canada had a system resembling open borders.

Back during the winter months, observers had predicted an uptick in illegal crossings once the weather improved. Instead, the month of May saw an overall decrease: Dropping to a nationwide total of 749 compared to 859 the previous month.

But now that number has gone up, hitting 884 in June — a near tie for the highest month of the year, which was March at an 887 head count.

“Trying to slip across the border is not a ‘free ticket’ to Canada,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a statement. “All asylum claimants have their claim fairly adjudicated according to Canadian law. For those without a genuine claim, removal procedures are begun.”

So far this year, RCMP have detained a total of 4,345 people trying to enter Canada illegally.

afurey@postmedia.com