Canada PM - will not halt illegal border crossing despite opposition

[webfact]

Canada PM - will not halt illegal border crossing despite opposition

REUTERS

 

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will continue to accept asylum seekers crossing illegally from the United States but will ensure security measures are taken to keep Canadians safe, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.

 

The number of would-be refugees crossing into Canada at isolated and unguarded border crossings has increased in recent weeks amid fears U.S. President Donald Trump will crack down on illegal immigrants, and photos of smiling Canadian police greeting the migrants have gone viral.

 

Opposition Conservatives want Trudeau's centre-left Liberal government to stem the flow of asylum seekers from the United States because of security fears and a lack of resources to deal with them.

 

"We will continue to accept refugees," Trudeau told parliament. "One of the reasons why Canada remains an open country is Canadians trust our immigration system and the integrity of our borders and the help we provide people who are looking for safety.

 

"We will continue to strike that balance between a rigorous system and accepting people who need help."

 

Canadian police said on Monday they had bolstered their presence at the Quebec border and that border authorities had created a temporary refugee centre to process a growing number of asylum seekers crossing from the United States.

 

The number of people making refugee claims at Quebec-U.S. border crossings more than doubled from 2015 to 2016. Last month, 452 people made claims in Quebec compared with 137 in January 2016.

 

The influx is straining police and community resources in the western prairie province of Manitoba and in Quebec, where cabs drop asylum seekers off metres away from the Quebec-U.S.border, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said.

 

The right-leaning Conservative opposition have called on Canadian authorities to hand illegal immigrants over to U.S. authorities as well as hire extra police and border service to counter any potential threat from the asylum seekers.

 

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told parliament the border services agency and police are carefully monitoring the situation, and more resources would be provided if necessary.

 

If caught by police, asylum seekers are taken in for questioning. They are then transferred to the CBSA for fingerprinting and further questions. If people are deemed a threat or flight risk, they are detained. If not, they can file refugee claims and live in Canada while they wait for a decision.

 

(Reporting by Andrea Hopkins; Editing by Chris Reese)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-22

[canuckamuck]

The western world has lost all common sense and Trudeau is rushing to prove he is part of that team.

Why even have borders anymore? They only keep out people who go through proper channels.

[Banana7]

All the rats will run when the cat comes into the room.

 

These new asylum seekers from USA are running because they entered USA illegally, and want to avoid prosecution or deportation. So now the criminals come to Canada and the border is wide open. Trudeau and the Liberal party are very pro-immigrant because that's how they get elected - by the immigrants. Trudeau will just increase the taxes to make everyone else pay benefits for the criminals. They'll be provided government paid housing, food, free lawyers, to fight to stay in Canada, all at the expense of the tax payer. Sometimes it takes 4 or 5 years before a deportation order is issued if they lose their case to stay. Once they lose, many don't show-up for their Canadian tax payer paid flight home.

 

Trump should build a Northern wall too, to keep the criminals in USA.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Banana7

[thaibeachlovers]

I feel no sympathy for the Canadians, as they elected that clown.

[sanukjim]

Thank You Canada for taking our illegals and criminals into your open arms.I can see t now " An exclusive highway from Mexico to Canada to let them to keep passing through The US to Canada".Oh What Joy". Kind of what France was doing to let the Muslims pass on to The UK via way of the channel.

[Baerboxer]

5 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

The western world has lost all common sense and Trudeau is rushing to prove he is part of that team.

Why even have borders anymore? They only keep out people who go through proper channels.

 

Totally agree. Here we have another PC tendy left wing leader who says it's fine to break laws and become a criminal and we'll simply ignore it. 

 

What a wonderful example. Criminals welcome, providing you only break the laws we don't like. 

 

His he planning on changing the Canadian immigration laws thru parliament? Or simply advocating others to become criminals and break laws because it suits his political agenda?

 

How on earth can a country tolerate such an hypocritical leader who encourages criminal activity?

[kowpot]

1 hour ago, sanukjim said:

Thank You Canada for taking our illegals and criminals into your open arms.I can see t now " An exclusive highway from Mexico to Canada to let them to keep passing through The US to Canada".Oh What Joy". Kind of what France was doing to let the Muslims pass on to The UK via way of the channel.

The refugee pipeline can run beside the oil pipeline....Win.....Win...........for the USA.

 

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Maybe Trump isn't as stupid as people think.Maybe this is what he knew would happen.Out of the States,,straight into Canada, What could be better.?

[anotheruser]

10 minutes ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Maybe Trump isn't as stupid as people think.Maybe this is what he knew would happen.Out of the States,,straight into Canada, What could be better.?

 

So far so good. Please keep on being the beacon of hope you are. As an American I approve of Canada's stance on this and hope they continue to do so for a long long time.

[hawker9000]

18 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Totally agree. Here we have another PC tendy left wing leader who says it's fine to break laws and become a criminal and we'll simply ignore it. 

 

What a wonderful example. Criminals welcome, providing you only break the laws we don't like. 

 

His he planning on changing the Canadian immigration laws thru parliament? Or simply advocating others to become criminals and break laws because it suits his political agenda?

 

How on earth can a country tolerate such an hypocritical leader who encourages criminal activity?

The US has done it for the last 8 years!  And now, anyone who fails to support the continuation of that total absurdity is a "white supremacist".   You see, the inmates were running the asylum until about 3 months ago...   (Well, one inmate-in-chief mostly, with a little help from his loony friends.)

 

Europe is learning ITS lesson,,, the hard way.  Here in the "colonies", the struggle continues but things are finally looking up.

 

 

 

 

[LazySlipper]

Being a Canadian expat I love it when I am reminded why I left. In some ways we, Canadians, are just like Thai women... if someone is handsome he must be good... and being handsome is the reason why Troudecul (trou d'eau... Trudeau) got elected. 

 

Hope he gets his arse handed to him ASAP... but hey... Melania Trump likes him according to mainstream media... maybe her hubby can save his buttocks...

[Ramen087]

It continually amazes me how people will do anything to justify an open arms policy when it is proving to be immensely difficult and costly to deal with, even when a very small percentage of people entering your homeland could be an issue of national security. Political correctness has stifled debate regarding issues like this one, claiming any restriction constitutes hate speech, with hate speech not being free speech. Canadiens, I wish you luck with the influx. Hopefully you will not need it. 

Edited February 23, 2017 by Ramen087