OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian officials warned Thursday against entering the country unchecked through backwoods in an effort to curb a surge in asylum seekers coming on foot from the United States.

Landing in Canada “is not an automatic ticket to being accepted here as a refugee,” Transportation Minister Marc Garneau told a press conference in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle.

The Quebec border town about 60 kilometres (38 miles) south of Montreal has witnessed a recent spike in asylum seekers.

“Those who might wish to seek asylum (must) fully understand the rules under which we operate, which is that unless you are being persecuted or fleeing terror or war, you would not qualify as a refugee,” Garneau said.

“It is important to combat that misinformation that is out there,” he added.

Officials, meanwhile, told a briefing that the government “strongly discourages” anyone from skirting border checkpoints, saying it is both illegal and dangerous.

They also noted that less than 50 percent of refugee bids in 2016, when the wave of walk-ins began, were successful. The rest were ordered out of the country.

The month of July saw a fourfold increase in the number of asylum seekers in Quebec province from the previous month, to nearly 3,000. The historical average is 400-500 monthly.

So far in August, more than 3,800 asylum seekers have crossed the border into Quebec, and authorities believe the number will continue to rise, soon eclipsing a record set in 2008 when thousands of Mexicans fled to Canada.

Most of the recent arrivals are Haitians who face expulsion from the United States after President Donald Trump said that he would not extend temporary asylum granted to 60,000 Haitians affected by a devastating 2010 earthquake.

Their special status is due to expire at the end of the year.