Louise Simbandumwe: Border Crossings and Winnipeg Branch

louise simbandumwe: The idea that there's some sort of a security risk associated with refugees, that they're a drain on the social system, and that people who arrive over the border through irregular border crossings are somehow illegal, according to CBC. So I would say those would be the most common misconceptions. I think what a refugee is, to begin with, is a very common misconception, said Louise Simbandumwe, a former refugee from Burundi and co-chair of the Winnipeg branch of Amnesty International. Simbandumwe is one of four panelists for the talk, set to start at 7 p.m. at the Gretna Prairie Centre. First asylum seekers housed in Gretna seniors' residence'No one chooses to be a refugee' Manitoba refugees share stories, tackle misconceptions Many people don't understand the legal protections and rights extended to asylum seekers who cross the border irregularly, Simbandumwe said. Other panelists include former refugee claimant Yahya Samatar, who swam across the Red River into Manitoba from North Dakota in 2015, another former refugee claimant and an immigration lawyer. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.