Trump says Canada is 'destroying itself' by letting in millions of immigrants 'unchecked'
"It is a Liberal takeover that will end very badly."
U.S. President Donald Trump spontaneously took aim at Canada's immigration policy on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at Canada again Wednesday, this time to claim that Canada is "destroying itself" by allowing "millions and millions" of people into the country "essentially unchecked and unvetted."
In a seemingly unprompted social media post, Trump said this is causing unspecified problems that "will soon be too big to handle" and described it as a "Liberal takeover that will end very badly."
He said Canada's immigration policy is already resulting in high unemployment numbers.
Trump provided no evidence for any of these claims.
Canada's unemployment rate in August was 6.4%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% last month.
Ottawa has reduced its immigration intake over the last two years after abandoning plans to work toward admitting 500,000 permanent residents annually. It also introduced targets for admissions of international students and temporary workers following sharp increases in both those populations.
Immigration Department data shows the number of temporary residents coming to Canada between January and July this year was 66% lower than the number of arrivals over the same period in 2024, when reduction measures began.
Former immigration minister Marc Miller said Wednesday he does not think Trump's comments are "worth dignifying."
"We have a controlled immigration system," Miller said. "I'm very proud of the immigration that comes here, but I won't dignify that comment."
Statistics Canada population estimates show Canada's population growth has been flat recently due to reduced immigration, and the parliamentary budget officer expects zero population growth this year.
The Immigration Department's website says all visitors, temporary foreign workers, students, immigrants and refugees undergo comprehensive security screening protocols and can be deemed inadmissible on grounds of security, human or international rights violations, or organized criminality.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2026.
