'Ultranationalists' monitor Roxham Road, where asylum seekers cross into Canada

Overthe holidayweekend, while many Quebecers were enjoying some overdue sunshine, a dozen people worried about lax border controls gathered in the woods near Hemmingford, Que., in the hopes of staring down asylum seekers.

Unlike the militias that have formed along the southernU.S border, thisgroup made up of men, women, three small childrenand abichonmaltese-shihtzumixcarried no weaponsand had no plans to patrol.

But like thosemilitias, the group that gathered Sunday atRoxhamRoad is also concerned authorities aren't doing enough to stop migrantsfrom crossing into Canada illegally.

DaveTregget,who organized the meeting, explained their intention is simply to observe border crossings. He's concerned the mainstream media isn't telling the whole story.

"We just want to see for ourown eyes what's going on,"said Tregget whilewaving away a cloud ofblackflies.

"Migrants should go through the border legally. Some people are waiting to become Canadian citizens legally. We want everybody to go through the same process."

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RoxhamRoad is a popular destination for would-be refugee claimants, who travel from across the U.S. toPlattsburgh, N.Y. From there they take a taxi toRoxhamRoad, where they can cross the border easily on foot.

No asylum seekers crossed while Tregget's group was there on Sunday. But ever since Donald Trump's election in the U.S. the number ofillegal crossings intoQuebec has continued to riseup to 672 in Aprilfrom644 a month earlier,according to the latestgovernment figures.

'Ultranationalist' not 'far right'

Tregget isthe leaderand founder of StormAlliance. He had been president of the Quebec chapter of Soldiers of Odin, a far-right organization based in Finland, but left last year after accusing the leadership of racism.

He describes his new group, which is composed of several disaffectedSoldiers of Odin members, as"ultranationalist" rather than "far right."

As the members of Storm Alliance monitored the border line,three Mountiesstood guard nearby,prepared to arrest anyone who crossed into Canada.

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A loneSretduQubecofficer was dispatched to ensure the group did not interfere with the RCMP's work. They were asked to keep their distance, but allowed to walk to the border line in groups of two or three.

TheRCMPdid not return a requestfor comment Monday about the group'spresence at the border.

Several of the people joining TreggetonRoxhamRoad made the three-hour trip from the Quebec City area;many wore blackhoodieswith the Storm Alliance logo.

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None were from Montreal, and one woman noted she tries to avoid the city, pointing out that it had officially become a "sanctuary city" a designation allowing for the protection of undocumented immigrants.

Many of them met throughFacebookand sharean underlying concern about how new arrivals could change the country.

"We want to see for ourselves, how many are crossing over, and what's the end game," saidIsabelleFournier, whose two-year-old son Hunter raced back and forth on a push bike along the dirt road.

'We want them to respect our culture'

Fournierisn't convinced theRCMPadequately monitors the border, and worries about people walking into the country unchecked.

Asylum seekers, however, need to be arrested in order to start the process of making a refugee claim. If they cross legally at a border station, those claims have little chance of success.

MarcBdard, a truck driver fromVaudreuil, west of Montreal, said he's not against immigration,but wants to ensure people who come here follow the rules.

"I've never been scared of living here because we live with other people who share our values. Now I'm not so sure," he said.

Treggetand others interviewed by CBC News insisted they weren't there to cause problems, or to intimidate would-be refugees hoping to make a life in Canada.

Like others who were thereSunday, he has visitedRoxhamRoad before, and plans to visit again.

"People come over here. We want them to respect our culture, abide to it, live by it, and some people see that as racism, which it's not," he said.

• CBC Montreal's ongoing coverage of the far right in Quebec