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PINEY, Man. — Officials in the Rural Municipality of Piney said two separate groups of asylum seekers illegally crossed the Canada/U.S. border in the area at the end of March.

Deputy Reeve of Piney, David Beaudry, said the two groups crossed during the day around March 27.

“There’s only one area asylum seekers could be crossing that they would face less challenges,” Beaudry said. Tweet This

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One of the groups of two people crossed at the port of entry near South Junction. The other group crossed near Piney. Beaudry said the area separating Minnesota and Manitoba in the municipality is wet and wooded, making it difficult to walk through.

“The area is all swamp. It’s very challenging.” Tweet This

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Beaudry said RCMP officers were in the municipality on March 28, and told officials the asylum seekers had been arrested and taken to the Canadian Border Services Agency offices in Emerson.

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As the weather warms up, Beaudry said he doesn’t expect there to be an influx of people crossing in the area, especially given the terrain.

“It would be even life threatening for these individuals to come in this area. There’s a lot of wildlife they can encounter, and wood ticks.”

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