2,550 US citizens applied for asylum in Canada in 2017. That’s more than 6 times as many as in 2016

By Doug Criss, CNN|

(CNN)The number of US citizens seeking refuge in Canada skyrocketed last year.

Exactly 2,550 Americans applied for asylum in Canada in 2017, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. That’s more than a sixfold increase from the 395 Americans who applied in 2016.

It’s believed that the hard-line immigration policies of President Donald Trump have fueled the increase in the number of Americans fleeing to Canada.

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