Nolan writes:
“The day after President Donald Trump issued his first travel ban order, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a message to aliens “fleeing persecution, terror & war.” In addition to the inappropriateness of accusing the president of the United States of religious discrimination, his tweet made a promise that Canada will not be able to keep.
His tweet was an unqualified invitation to the 65.6 million aliens worldwide who have been displaced from their countries by conflict and persecution. Canada almost certainly will have to turn away many of the aliens who accept the invitation and come to Canada relying on it.
Some will be disqualified by Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which requires asylum seekers to apply for asylum in the United States if they enter that country before entering Canada, with some exceptions.
Also, his invitation includes aliens who are fleeing terror and war, and despite their very real need for refuge, they are not likely to be able to establish eligibility for refugee status or asylum on that basis. According to UNHCR figures, only 22.5 million of the 65.6 million displaced persons are refugees.
Trudeau’s tweet reminds me of President Jimmy Carter’s invitation to Cuban refugees when he was asked what the government was going to do about the Mariel Boat Lift. On April 20, 1980, Cuban President Fidel Castro announced that he would permit Cubans wishing to leave Cuba to go to the United States. Two weeks later, Carter said that the United States would “welcome the Cuban refugees with open arms and open hearts.”
But the boat lift was not limited to refugees. Castro forced the boat owners who participated in the boat lift to take approximately 8,000 criminals and hundreds of mentally-ill persons. The boat lift was a financial disaster for the ship owners. Despite Carter’s promise to welcome the Cuban refugees, his administration fined the boat owners $1,000 for each of the estimated 110,000 Mariel refugees they brought here in violation of section 273 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
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Read Nolan’s complete op-ed, which also contains a description of Canada’s Refugee Program, over on The Hill at the above link.
Several thoughts. Most of the world’s refugees have no way of getting to Canada. Many victims of war an terror are, in fact, refugees under a proper application of Convention standards. Our “Safe Third Country Agreement” with Canada has very limited applicability. Also, regardless of the wisdom of accusing President Trump of religious discrimination, nearly all Federal Courts to consider the two Travel Bans to date have found that the President indeed had improper motives for imposing the ban, including religious discrimination.
Given Trump’s highly problematic attitude and actions towards refugees, I’d be hesitant to throw too many stones at other nations who are at least trying to show the spirit of generosity embodied in the U.N. Convention and Protocol. Wise or not, Trudeau’s heart is in the right place. That’s more than I can say for Trump.
PWS
06-20-17
Paul Says, “Several thoughts. Most of the world’s refugees have no way of getting to Canada.”
I never said they did. My point was that he made an open invitation to a very large number of aliens, and not just to refugees. He included aliens fleeing terror and war. The refugees will come through the formal refugee channels, and Canada will choose how many they want. Thanks to Trudeau, so many aliens have come to Canada seeking asylum that they are faced with the prospect of an 11 year wait for asylum hearings.
Paul says, “Many victims of war an terror are, in fact, refugees under a proper application of Convention standards.”
Only if they also have a well founded fear of persecution.
Paul says, “Our “Safe Third Country Agreement” with Canada has very limited applicability.”
According to my research asylum seekers are entering without inspection between ports of entry along the unprotected 4000 mile border between Canada and the US, and there is no way of knowing how many are doing it. I read accounts of crossers freezing to death and losing fingers due to frostbite. It’s the cold weather equivalent of people crossing the Arizona dessert to get into the US from Mexico to avoid areas where the border patrol is active.
Pauls said, “Also, regardless of the wisdom of accusing President Trump of religious discrimination, nearly all Federal Courts to consider the two Travel Bans to date have found that the President indeed had improper motives for imposing the ban, including religious discrimination.”
I really don’t care whether Americans or American courts think Trump had improper motives for imposing the ban, although I am yet to see an objective, rational basis for such a conclusion. My point is that the Prime Minister of Canada should not be accusing the President of the United States of religious discrimination in a tweet that is going out to the public. I find that extremely offensive. And I am surprised that Paul has so little respect for the office of the president to consider that acceptable.
Paul says, “Given Trump’s highly problematic attitude and actions towards refugees, I’d be hesitant to throw too many stones at other nations who are at least trying to show the spirit of generosity embodied in the U.N. Convention and Protocol. Wise or not, Trudeau’s heart is in the right place. That’s more than I can say for Trump.”
I don’t understand Paul’s comment. Trudeau did not have to insult America to open the Canadian border to asylum seekers from all over the world. One thing has nothing to do with the other.
And I don’t agree that “his heart is in the right place.” If his intention was to help refugees, he could have used his influence as the Prime Minister to increase the number of refugees Canada takes. In fact, as I note in my article, the number has been reduced for 2017. That would have made much more sense than encouraging aliens from all over the world to come to Canada with the hope of getting asylum. No way of knowing how many people will come or who they will be. That was extremely irresponsible for someone in his position.
The US Canada Safe Third Country Agreement applies only at ports of entry, including airports and train stations.
Many victims of war and terror have a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of a protected ground.
Best,
Paul
Paul says, “The US Canada Safe Third Country Agreement applies only at ports of entry, including airports and train stations.”
That’s why asylum seekers are entering illegally across the open 4000 mile border between Canada and the US. And there is no way to determine how many are doing it. But the fact that Canada is pulling back on refugee admissions for 2017 and the fact that they are facing the prospect of an 11 year wait for asylum hearings indicate that a very large number of asylum seekers are entering without inspection across that border.
Paul says, “Many victims of war and terror have a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of a protected ground.”
That may be true, but their persecution claim can’t be based solely on the presence of war and terror in their countries. Fleeing war and terror in themselves are not grounds for asylum or refugee status. This is important because although you understand the difference, many people don’t. It’s misleading to tell the general public that people fleeing war and terror are refugees.