generalspeaking

Too Little, Too Late : Canada's Explosion of Migrants

"[Canada is in] exploratory [talks with the U.S. over the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S.]"
"[But Canada has no wish to encompass the entire order]. That ... would increase insecurity at the order and make the crossing issues less safe."
"It's a discussion we're having with the Americans about the various techniques that could be pursued on both sides of the border to ensure security and integrity."
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale

"Not only are these discussions taking place too late, the Trudeau government has failed to be transparent."
"This is in direct contradiction to today's reports that claim discussions began last September."
Michelle Rempel, Conservative Member of Parliament, opposition immigration critic

"It is my belief that border crossers will exceed conventional refugees probably in 2018."
"The temperature's not going down in the United States in terms of irregular migrants." 
"Realistically, if it's going to take ten years to get a refugee hearing ... you've almost got de facto amnesty."
Raj Sharma, Calgary-based immigration lawyer

Canada's capacity to handle refugee claims by the Immigration and Refugee Board has been overtaxed. A total queue of 18,644 refugee claims were registered at January of 2017. That number has risen to 48,974 as of March 31, 2018. The Board is stretched to go beyond the processing of about 1,000 to 2,000 cases monthly. At this rate it takes 20 months to process a claim. Of the 2,552 claims that resulted from illegal border crossings in 2017, 53 percent were accepted. And if current rates of illegal crossings continue, by 2021 the wait time for processing could stretch to 11 years.

The RCMP intercepted 20,593 people at the Canada-U.S. border claiming asylum. While those who filed refugee claims through conventional, legal means, numbered 29,276. Interceptions of asylum seekers by the RCMP stopping and escorting people illegally crossing from the U.S. into Canada have doubled the numbers of 2017. The expectation by the Refugee Board is that up to 400 border crossers during the summer months will occur daily. Most of them taking place on the Quebec/New York border, known universally now as the easiest unauthorized route into Canada.

Despite assurance by Minister Goodale that Canada is in discussions with the U.S. on the issue, immigration critic Michelle Rempel pointed out that Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen himself stated that the government had not yet spoken to the United States regarding the potential of renegotiating the border agreement to ease the problem of illegal crossings. Initially, the border crossers were comprised mostly of Haitians fearing deportation.

Since then large numbers of Nigerians, entering the United States on tourist visas, purportedly interested in visiting the U.S., when their real purpose is to transit the United States and make directly for the Canadian border to claim refugee status have overtaken the Haitians. Over the Easter weekend alone over 600 claimants crossed into Quebec, and now that the weather is becoming warmer it is anticipated that Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, the crossing from Champlain, New York, will become even more frantic with refugee claimants' illegal entries.

The Liberal government prefers to delicately refer to the crossers as "irregular migrants" in contrast to the opposition Conservatives in the House of Commons who refer to them as "illegal migrants", since it is in truth illegal to cross into Canada without passing through an official port of entry. Signs posted at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle clearly state "It is illegal to cross the border here". Once someone makes an asylum claim, however any charges are dropped for illegal entry.

Famously, last year Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: "To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith", a sanctimonious response to the outrage expressed universally over U.S. President Donald Trump's "travel ban". That tweet resulted in 412,000 retweets, one of the most circulated tweets of the year. The month before the tweet, the RCMP intercepted 315 illegals, while the following month that number doubled and has kept on climbing ever since.

Labels: Borders, Canada, Illegals, Migrants, Refugees, United States

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, May 05, 2018