A refugee claimant who walked across the New Brunswick border from Maine is now in Moncton.

He was taken into custody shortly after entering the province through the woods near Perth-Andover, N.B. earlier this month.

Nicole Johnston was up with her eight-month-old daughter at around 3 a.m. on March 8, when she noticed a man walking down her street. Johnston says his footsteps could be seen in the snow the next morning.

"He walked right up to my stairs and he stopped, and then he must have realized there was no one home or something, I really don't know. Then he walked over here by the tarp shed, walked inside and he must have stood there because it was raining. It was really cold that night," says Johnston.

The person walked to Johnston’s neighbour's house and asked them to call police. His identity is protected, but RCMP confirm a man seeking refugee status in Canada was arrested after crossing the border near Carlingford, N.B.

The man was turned over to Canada Border Services, who sent this statement to CTV News:

"An individual was brought to a New Brunswick port of entry on March 8, 2017, by the RCMP, however due to a privacy legislation, we can't provide specific details about an individual's processing by the CSBA."

Citing the man's privacy, very little has been released by Canadian officials, including where he's originally from.

It's not common for refugees to cross the border into New Brunswick, but Nicole Johnston says police told her it could become an ongoing situation.

After processing him, the man was released into the care of the New Brunswick Refugee Clinic in Moncton.

Akram Ben Salah is the executive director of the New Brunswick Refugee Clinic. He can't say where the individual is, but confirms the clinic works with a number of local non-profit organizations that offer shelter for those in need, including those seeking refugee status.

Ben Salah also explains why some choose to enter the country illegally.

"Simply because they do not know their rights, because of that, because of the Safe Third Country Agreement, they try to cross the border illegally because in their mind if you cross the border legally, you will automatically be deported," says Ben Salah

Ben Salah says all refugees have the right to a fair hearing. A refugee has 15 days from the day they cross the border to submit their refugee application, but Ben Salah says it could take up to four months to have the hearing.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis.