There is a bit of bad news for illegal immigrants hoping that they can escape the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws by fleeing northward to the socialist paradise of Canada.
They’re not welcome there either.
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That is the message that an envoy from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been trying to get across during multiple visits to California where he has worked to discourage illegals from looking to Canada as a solution to their problems.
This is probably not going to sit well with those on the left who have been smitten with the dashing metrosexual Trudeau and his unabashed defense of liberalism. It was only last year that Rolling Stone magazine asked the question of “Why Can’t He Be Our President?” in a fawning cover story and his stance on illegals could tarnish his halo with American liberals
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Worried about #Trump-stoked exodus of immigrants, #Canada discourages #illegal crossings… https://t.co/qyaA1Z3GQf
— Drudge Report News (@_drudgereport_) January 29, 2018
Via the Los Angeles Times “Worried about Trump-stoked exodus of immigrants, Canada discourages illegal crossings”:
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In a private dining room at Zov’s restaurant in Tustin, a Canadian envoy made his pitch to about a dozen immigration attorneys and immigrant rights leaders.
Pablo Rodriguez, a member of Parliament, leaned over from his seat in the middle of the table and asked everyone to spread the word: Please do not cross into Canada illegally.
“Get the facts and make a decision based on the right facts, before leaving your jobs and taking your children out of school and going up there hoping to stay there forever,” Rodriguez said. “Because if you don’t qualify … you will be returned and in this case not to the United States. You will have lost your status and would be returned to your country of origin.”
Worried that anti-immigrant rhetoric and decisions from the Trump administration could drive more people across its border, the Canadian government is trying to nip that in the bud.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dispatched Rodriguez to California.
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His message was not that different from immigration hardliners in the U.S. But it was delivered with a nicer Canadian soft sell.
He said that Canada is “an open country” and a nation of immigrants. But, he stressed, immigrating to the country needs to be done legally.
“You can’t just come to Canada and cross the border and stay there the rest of your life,” he said. “We want to avoid a humanitarian crisis along the border.”
Immigrate legally? What a novel concept.
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A recent Forbes article reported on the exodus to Canada and what our northern neighbor is facing:
Canada as a place of refuge for American unlawful aliens
All this is undoubtedly putting pressure on Canada which appears destined to soon become the favorite alternative for expired TPS holders and illegal immigrants. The influx of approximately 15,000 alien asylum seekers crossing the US-Canadian border last year put an unexpected strain on Canadian society . For example, in Montreal, the Olympic stadium was converted into a “temporary welcome center” housing the asylum seekers. With the U.S. cancellation of Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans coming into full effect on July 22, 2019, the Canadian government now has eighteen months to prepare for another potential swarm of illegal border crossings in that regard, in addition to the other streams that may be headed northward in the months ahead.
What is the impact on Canada of these Illegal Border Crossings?
According to a Global News article in August 2017, of the 15,000 aliens who crossed the US-Canada border, only 5,529 people have been deported. Since the majority of these aliens are crossing illegally, they are exploiting the loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement. The Safe Third Country Agreement spells out that asylum seekers must make their claim in the country in which they first arrived. But that only applies when claims are made at official border points. If asylum seekers reach Canadian territory, they are entitled to go through a claims process after being arrested. That is because Canada is a signatory of the U.N. Refugee Convention. If the aliens claim refugee status, they have to await a trial to determine if they will be approved or not.
Meanwhile an inordinate strain on the Canadian government is caused by their sheer numbers. According to the CIC website, from January to November 2017 alone, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada processed 13,280 asylum claims in Quebec and 10,775 in Ontario, although there were only 970 in Alberta and 815 in British Columbia. Nonetheless, since there are so many asylum claims overall, the processing times are long. While Prime Minister Trudeau is confident that Canada will manage the influx of these refugees, conservative MP Michelle Rempel, for one, pointed out that the “Immigration and Refugee Board is already reporting 11-year wait times (yes, YEARS) for refugee hearings and is experiencing an alarming shortage of immigration judges.” On average, $15,000 to $20,000 is spent by different levels of government on each asylum claimant, according to Michael MacDonald, director general of the operations sector of the citizenship and immigration department. So Canadian taxpayers could end up paying heavily over many years because of delayed hearings for the new arrivals.
How long until Canada also has to implement policies mandating stricter enforcement on illegal immigrants?
Depending on whether the Democrats will come to the negotiating table over DACA or simply throw their base under the bus to dare the Trump administration to start deporting Dreamers it could be that Canada will be overwhelmed and face no choice but to exercise appropriate border control measures.
