Ever since the unexpected electoral win of Donald Trump as president, an increase in immigration to Canada has been observed. Canadian border patrols have termed these undocumented immigrants as refugees. These refugees consist of Ghana and Somalia citizens, one of the seven countries in Trump’s Muslim ban. Another group is Mexican immigrants who have been detained at the Canadian border. Mexican immigrants fear Trump’s imposing laws that go against them, such as ICE knocking at the doors and entering homes without an individual’s permission. Deportation among the groups of refugees is their greatest fear.
Many refugees have arrived in Canada in extraordinary ways that demonstrate their desperate need. Many risk their lives to cross into freezing Canadian territory without the proper clothes and therefore often arrive frostbitten and with malnutrition. A bartender who has been working at least three years at the Emerson Hotel, the usual first stop for many refugees, has seen an increase of immigration.”They’re cold. They’re wearing their winter boots and their winter gear, but they’re cold,” Wayne Pfiel told Metro News. “They end up taking their boots and socks off right in the lobby or else I’ll let them in the bar and offer them a coffee and something to eat.” The Unites States is no longer the safe haven it was before.
Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, in response to the immigration has stated in his twitter account, “to those fleeing persecution, terror, and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength.”
See, the last phrase is something that should truly stick out to Americans. Is America not the one that would prompt diversity? Indeed, looking back into American history, it took more than hundred years to accept diversity but diversity is what the U.S. claims to stand for. Or least about half of the U.S. that didn’t vote for Trump. Meanwhile, data as of January 29, 2017, from the Canadian Government shows that 40,081 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada.
The Mexican immigrants arriving at Canadian doors are 72,000 and increasing. Mexicans have been authorized visiting entry with proper authorizations due to the agreement between the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, and the Canadian prime minister. “This move will make it easier for our Mexican friends to visit Canada while growing our local economies and strengthening our communities,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin stated. In other words, the Canadian government will be lifting visa requirements for Mexicans. In exchange, the Mexican government will lift bans on Canadian imports (originally put in place in 2003 due to concerns about mad cow disease). The Canadian government website states that if traveling by air, online traveling authorizations need to be filled out along with a fee of about $5. However, if visiting by land or sea, only proper identification is necessary. There is a keyword among these lines and that is visiting. Canada has not claimed to grant Mexicans citizenship but perhaps a visit can translate to temporary refuge from a persecuting American government.
Still, Canada is protective of the people that enter and have detained about 440 Mexicans from January to March. The ones detained are those whom authorities consider posing a threat or lack proper identification and those who seem unlikely to reemerge voluntarily for a future immigration hearing. Canadian authorities worry that cartels will be infiltrated if they are not careful of who they let in.
Canadian and Mexican leaders worked out a deal, unlike our president who instead tells the whole American population that Mexico will build the wall to keep out the bad hombres out. Canada is welcoming Muslim refugees instead of discriminating them. Immigrants need help and as an American, I do not wish to stand by and watch them suffer. What happened to the U.S.’s safe haven? Will it come back?
