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MAXVILLE, Ont. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, long an outspoken champion of Canada’s reputation for welcoming newcomers, added a bracing dose of reality Friday as he urged would-be migrants to respect the country’s border with the United States.

Trudeau took pains to reassure Canadians that the country has the resources and the capacity to deal with the sudden spike in asylum seekers that have crossed into Quebec in recent weeks.

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But in a departure from his usual rhetoric on immigration, he also made it clear that anyone who is caught trying to enter the country illegally would be required to navigate the proper immigration channels.

“We want migration to Canada to be done in an orderly fashion; there’s border checkpoints and border controls that we need to make sure are respected,” Trudeau said during a visit to the Glengarry Highland Games in eastern Ontario.

“The people coming now irregularly will still have to go through all the proper processes.”