[BartSimpson]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/poli ... cle/485396

Why look at that. Looks like you folks are going to get a chance to put your money where your mouth is on the matter of Muslim refugees.

Some of you argue that these people have some sort of right to be in the USA and now we'll get to see if they also enjoy such rights in Canada.

$1:

Emerson - Over last weekend almost two dozen refugees walked over the border from the U.S. into Canada. Officials in the municipality of Emerson-Franklin directly south of Winnipeg worry about dealing with the rising numbers as they seem to be increasing.

Doug Johnston a councilor for the municipality said:"This is right off the scale for us." The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that 22 people had crossed the border for Noyes, Minnesota into the Emerson area in Manitoba Canada. Johnston said that this is more than he has ever seen within such a short period. Rita Chahai, director of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council said that last week another 10 refugee claimant files had been opened. Chahai said: "What we notice when they are in our office is that they are just extremely grateful and happy they have a chance at a fair hearing.To us, that's what is really important; that they are out of harm's way."

Most of the refugees come north to Manitoba through Minneapolis Minnesota. They are originally from such places as Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti. Four who arrived this weekend were from Somalia. Many of the refugees have no clue about weather conditions in Manitoba at this time of year and are not properly dressed. Johnston said he fears that some refugee is going to die if the number trying to get in increases while it is dead winter still.

Christmas eve, two Ghanians came by bus and then taxi to a large field that straddles the border. After wading through deep snow they finally reached the main highway to Winnipeg HIghway 75. It took some time to flag down a truck who phoned 911 when he realized how badly frozen the two were. They went by ambulance to Morris and then to Winnipeg as they were so badly frozen.

The weather was quite cold even without considering the effect of the wind: "Environment Canada records show the temperature in the Emerson, Man., area on the morning of Dec. 24 was hovering around the –18 C mark before the windchill. CBC meteorologist John Sauder said skin can freeze within 30 minutes in that temperature." The two will suffer serious consequences but both are fortunate to be alive: "A Ghanaian refugee who almost died during a trek to cross the U.S.-Canada border into Manitoba on Christmas Eve will lose all of his fingers, a toe and possibly his arms." It appears from the appended video that neither will lose an arm.

Johnston thinks that when the weather warms up the influx could even be greater and he along with other officials and the local MLA want to meet with the federal and provincial government to devise a plan to deal with the situation. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) reports that 410 asylum seekers entered Canada near Emerson in just nine months last year. That is up from 340 in the year 2015-16 and only 68 in 2013-2014. Reeve of the municipality Greg Janzen said: "They are coming at all hours of the night, in the dark. We don't know if they're really bad criminals … if they're into drugs or into crime, and that's a scary thing."

Border staff were under pressure over the weekend but were able to get emergency officials in Emerson to house refugees in a local community hall. Sometimes the hall is opened for drivers stranded in snowstorms but volunteers said they had never had to deal with so many refugees.

Emerson is about 100 kilometers directly south of Winnipeg the capital. Refugees are usually picked up by fire crews or the RCMP and taken to the CBSA where they are processed. Volunteers provided the refugees blankets and warm clothes. They stayed at the hall about 12 hours. Usually refugees are not provided food but the group were hungry and were given bread with Nutella.

The Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. requires asylum seekers to claim refugee status in the "first safe country they arrive in" Any claimant trying to enter Canada from the U.S. via customs at U.S. land borders will be turned away. The deal was signed in 2004. However, there is a loophole that enables those who cross the border outside of official crossing points to be able to claim refugee status.

Janzen said: "I personally don't think they should be considered refugees. The United States is a safe country, and yet we're giving them refugee status." However, a growing number of critics including Amnesty International have called for scrapping the deal. Trump's recebt executive order is thought to have contributed to the recent influx into Manitoba. Ahmed Hussen, Federal Minister of Immigration defended the agreement claiming it allows Canada to "better handle the asylum system":"It's supported by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to prevent asylum shopping."

A CBC article interviews a number of refugees in Winnipeg about the refugee situation. One, Abdikheir Ahmed, who came to Winnipeg as a refugee in 2003 from Kenya, said Trump's ban is scary for Muslims like himself."We might avoid the U.S. forever. The U.S. is not a safe country for refugees anymore."

[BartSimpson]

$1:

One, Abdikheir Ahmed, who came to Winnipeg as a refugee in 2003 from Kenya, said Trump's ban is scary for Muslims like himself."We might avoid the U.S. forever. The U.S. is not a safe country for refugees anymore."

Let's hope so.

[martin14]

Spring flood, in more ways than one.

[BartSimpson]

I expect as the weather warms you'll see more criminal aliens fleeing to Canada from the US as they fear deportation.

Keep in mind we have about 11 million to 30 million illegals from Mexico and Central America and even if only 10% of them flee to Canada you folks will have quite a bill to pay.

[maldonsfecht]

maybe this will give people here some ( a very small in comparison ) perspective on how it is for countries with land-borders being overrun...

[N_Fiddledog]

Canada is taking in "refugees" from America?

Are things really that bad down there?

What heroes we are; saving the Somalis from the Americans. How many billions of lives have we saved, I wonder. Who knows, but aren't we special?

[Tman1]

What do we call these, whitebacks?

[raydan]

We already had a thread for this...


Come on Bart... check first.

current-events-f59/small-man-town-facing-wave-of-refugee-claimants-crossing-bo-t118280.html?hilit=refugee

[raydan]

I just checked and you even posted in that thread, Bart.

[BartSimpson]

Different article. Ask a mod to merge them if you wish.

[raydan]

Nope... I'll leave that up to you if you think they should.

[stratos]

This has been up for 2 days. Where are all the Progressives and Left wingers who scream racism every time the US does not do something they like. Where is all the out pouring of support for these refugees? Open up your boarders and let them flow in. No processing no vetting no waiting or put on hold. Because you know that's what Trump did and you called it racist.

[bootlegga]

stratos stratos:

This has been up for 2 days. Where are all the Progressives and Left wingers who scream racism every time the US does not do something they like. Where is all the out pouring of support for these refugees? Open up your boarders and let them flow in. No processing no vetting no waiting or put on hold. Because you know that's what Trump did and you called it racist.

Apples & oranges...and no I'm not talking about President Cheeto Dust (well, maybe just a little bit ).

Your ban/restriction/whatever Sean Sphincter is calling it today was a total ban, even for those who had ALREADY been vetted/screened/etc., so that's nothing like this, as these refugees just showed up, without any vetting at all by Canadian authorities.

It's also nothing like the thousands of refugees Canada took in last year - all of which were screened/vetted extensively before allowing them to come here.

These guys are more like the Hispanic immigrants who cross the border into the US illegally, and I've never agreed with that either, even though I do sympathize with their plight.

The only thing I do disagree with is tearing apart families, because some yahoo wants to deport some hypothetical Jose/Jesus/etc., but not his children, who by way of birth, are legal US citizens. That's morally wrong, and where possible, I think amnesty should be granted (as long as Jose/Jesus/etc. aren't criminals).

[DrCaleb]

stratos stratos:

This has been up for 2 days. Where are all the Progressives and Left wingers who scream racism every time the US does not do something they like. Where is all the out pouring of support for these refugees? Open up your boarders and let them flow in. No processing no vetting no waiting or put on hold. Because you know that's what Trump did and you called it racist.

Because the premise of the thread is is bullshit. Most aren't falling for the bait. If refugees were set to be deported in the US, CBP will see that when they are questioned, and they will still be deported. The ones who are legitimate refugees will have the chance to remain refugees. We do after all, share information between our two countries on this matter.

No one crosses the border and is ignored. There are RCMP patrols at many 'empty' crossings, and people are told before they cross the border that they will be arrested on crossing it.

http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/asylum-seeke ... -1.3282280

The thing I'm wondering, is in a nation made up of refugees and immigrants, why all of a sudden are all the refugees and immigrants not feeling safe? Why are you guys not asking 'what has changed' in your country that people don't feel safe?

[herbie]

For decades immigrants came here because it was "almost America", many refugees that landed here were using us as an interim stop to reach "the land of opportunity" down south.
Three fucking weeks for The Big Cheezy to have them running the other way.