The idea of designating some Maritime cities as 'sanctuary cities' for asylum seekers coming to Canada is a hot topic after a recent influx of border crossings across the country.

However, Fredericton's mayor says he's not convinced it's an option for New Brunswick’s capital city.

"To date, nobody's asked, nobody's requested and nobody in council has even spoken about it," says Mayor Mike O'Brien.

O'Brien says Fredericton has always been a welcoming city and it will remain that way. But becoming a 'sanctuary city' - one that offers services to undocumented residents seeking asylum, is a provincial decision, not a municipal one.

"Because they're looking for health care, and education, and social services, and the city offers none of those. None of those services are even there to offer, that's why it's really not a municipality issue, but it could be if someone asked us to," says O'Brien.

Fredericton MP Matt DeCourcey says everybody deserves a fair shake.

"Canadians are telling us that they want a country that is open and accepting of people who come from challenging situations, and everybody who arrives here in Canada deserves a fair opportunity to seek asylum in our country," says DeCourcey.

Twenty-three asylum seekers sought refuge after crossing the New Brunswick border last year. Halifax-based immigration lawyer Lee Cohen says that's just the beginning.

"The next question is, should we be doing something about it? The answer, in my opinion, is yes, we should welcome these people,” says Cohen. “We should start getting organized now in order to be prepared to facilitate the numbers of people coming into our country, that I anticipate will start happening within the next month or two.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Laura Brown.