court hearing: Greg Abbott signed the bill known as SB4 in May ended without Garcia ruling whether he will let Texas enforce the law, according to Metro News. He did not set a timetable for a decision. Hundreds of protesters, waving flags and carrying signs that read Stop Separation of Families, packed the plaza outside a San Antonio courthouse where U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia will decide whether Texas can carry out the law that President Donald Trump's Justice Department says is in-line with its crackdown on immigration.A daylong court hearing about the constitutionality of the law the first hearing since Republican Gov. The law allows police officers to question people about their immigration status during routine stops and threatens police chiefs and elected officials with jail time and removal from office if they don't comply with federal immigration requests to detain immigrants in the country illegally. Lawyers for the Texas attorney general's office responded that the new law has less teeth than Arizona's Show Me Your Papers measure in 2010 that the was partially struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. The four largest cities in Texas San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas are suing to block the measure and their attorneys told Garcia that his ruling could determine if other states to pursue copycat measures. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

eritrean refugee: Rick Madonik / Toronto Star By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Mon., June 26, 2017 Mariam Tadesse felt weak and had a dry mouth for a week before staff at a Toronto refugee shelter found out and urged the 12-year-old girl's father to take her to a doctor, according to Toronto Star. The father and daughter, newly arrived for asylum from Eritrea, were hesitant to seek medical help because they were still waiting for their interim health care coverage from the federal government to kick in a process that can take weeks. Paul Caulford, left, treated Mariam Tadesse, right, an Eritrean refugee who was on the verge of a diabetic coma when she arrived at the Canadian Centre for Refugee & Immigrant Health. By the time Mariam was taken to the Canadian Centre for Refugee & Immigrant Health, a community clinic in Scarborough for people without health care coverage, in early September, she was entering a coma. They arrived at 3 p.m. but the clinic opened at 5. She suffered a diabetic attack and was immediately taken to a hospital, where she remained in intensive care for four days. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

poll: Almost across the board, the online poll found little consensus on any of the questions but instead elicited a wide variety of answers, according to CTV. When asked what single word would describe Canada, the most popular answer was freedom or liberty, a choice made by just a quarter of respondents. The poll, commissioned by Historica Canada and conducted by Ipsos, asked a number of questions about various aspects of Canadiana ranging from inquiries about the preferred Canadian dinner companion to most effective single word to describe the country. Participants were asked to choose which living or dead Canadian they'd most like to have dinner with, and the top choice -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- earned just eight per cent of votes. Canadians did display more loyalty to animals that have come to be seen as national symbols, with 85 per cent of respondents standing by the beaver and 82 per cent expressing fondness for the Canada Goose. The survey even found dissent on some of the country's most stereotypical national symbols, with one third of respondents admitting to a hatred of hockey and 37 per cent disputing the tastiness of ketchup chips. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration law: But much remains murky What exactly is a bona fide relationship Who gets to decide Will the travel ban even still be an issue by the time the justices hear arguments Here's a look at some key issues surrounding Trump's executive order WHO'S THE WINNER After the lower courts found the travel ban unconstitutionally biased against Muslims and contrary to federal immigration law, Trump hailed the Supreme Court's decision as a clear victory for our national security, according to Metro News. It was a legal win for the administration to an extent. The high court said the president's 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can be enforced pending arguments scheduled for October as long as those visitors lack a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States. Three justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch said they would have allowed the travel ban to take effect as written. Likewise, the justices said, refugees can travel to the U.S. if they demonstrate those connections contrary to the part of Trump's executive order suspending the nation's refugee program. But the other six kept blocking it as it applies to those travelling to the U.S. on employment, student or family immigrant visas as well as other cases where the traveller can show a bona fide connection to the U.S. That's no minor exception, according to immigrant groups, who say relatively few people come to the U.S. from the affected countries without such close ties. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration officials: In a decision released last week, Justice Richard Southcott ruled in favour of the 57 former clients of Beijing-based Flyabroad, saying immigration officials shouldn't have rejected them without giving each a fair opportunity to respond to the concerns raised, according to Toronto Star. Immigration officials should crack down on ghost consultants, but what happened in this case is the government actually went after the clients, said Wennie Lee, one of six lawyers for the applicants, who applied for permanent residence under the federal skilled workers class. WENNIE LEE By Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter Mon., June 26, 2017 The Federal Court has ordered Ottawa to reconsider dozens of immigration applications from rejected applicants from China who failed to disclose they hired the same unregistered consulting firm. The whole point of the legislation requiring disclosure is to protect these individuals from falling into the traps of the ghost consultants. In what was believed to be Canada's biggest attempt to crack down on unlicensed consultants, sometimes called ghost consultants, operating abroad, Ottawa rejected en masse immigration applications filed from the address of Flyabroad over the last two years on the grounds of misrepresentation. The court found it problematic how the government proceeded with this case. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law enforcement: He thought he could get away with it, prosecutor Victor Salgado said, adding that at least 170 were illegally detained because Arpaio didn't stop, according to Metro News. He never thought this day would come. In opening arguments, prosecutors displayed comments Arpaio made in news releases and during TV interviews in which he bragged about immigration enforcement, aiming to prove that he should be found guilty of misdemeanour contempt of court. Arpaio's defence lawyer vigorously disputed that a person with nearly 60 years in law enforcement would violate a court order, putting the blame on a former attorney who gave bad legal advice. His tactics drew fierce opponents as well as enthusiastic supporters nationwide who championed what they considered a tough-on-crime approach, including forcing inmates to wear pink underwear and housing them in tents outside in the desert heat. Critics hope the eight-day trial in federal court in Phoenix will bring a long-awaited comeuppance for the defiant 85-year-old who led crackdowns that divided immigrant families and escaped accountability. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

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.

patrol: It's actually a group of volunteers and the direction is to do something like the Bear Clan is doing but we are starting with the Filipino community, said Leila Castro, who started the group, according to CBC. Later on we would like to go multicultural because everybody is part of the community. They call themselves the 204 Neighbourhood Watch and they will be going out on their first patrol on Monday night, with guidance from Bear Clan members and founder James Favel. Bear Clan Patrol tests West End route Bear Clan Patrol keeps Winnipeg youths on right path with mock patrol A few months ago, a member of the Filipino community who lives by Castro posted on Facebook how his daughter had been robbed by two men with machetes, Castro said. We need to act as a community and we need to do something to address it, Castro said. There is a group on the social media site with about 30,000 Manitoba-based Filipinos and Castro said everyone started asking what could be done. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

philip roth: And one of the books that caught my eye was Toni Morrison's 'Song of Solomon.' And after reading it, I was very much in awe of it and thought maybe I would try writing, too, according to CTV. Mbue's Behold the Dreamers was published in 2016 and won the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction, an honour previously given to Philip Roth and Ann Patchett, among others. Years ago, I went to the library one day in Falls Church, Virginia, to borrow a book and saw a shelf that only had Oprah book club picks, Mbue, 36, told The Associated Press during a recent telephone interview. The book tells of an immigrant from Cameroon who becomes the chauffeur for a Lehman Brothers executive not long before the 2008 financial crisis. It's about race and class, the economy, culture, immigration and the danger of the Us vs. In Monday's announcement to The Associated Press, made jointly by Winfrey's OWN network and O magazine, Winfrey said Behold the Dreamers was both topical and timeless. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ruling sets: Until then, the court said Monday, Trump's ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can be enforced if those visitors lack a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States, according to Toronto Star. The ruling sets up a potential clash between the government and opponents of the ban over the strength of visitors' ties to the United States. The justices will hear full arguments in October in the case that has stirred heated emotions across the nation and pointed rebukes from lower courts saying the administration is targeting Muslims. A senior official said plans already had been written to enforce the ban aggressively. Those groups said they will be sending lawyers and monitors back to American airports, where the initial, immediate implementation of the ban in January caused chaos and confusion. But immigrant groups said relatively few people try to enter the United States without well-established ties. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump administration: U.S. Supreme Court revives parts of Trump travel ban Reuters It is also likely, some immigration lawyers say, to continue pushing immigrants toward Canada, as international students and workers who are worried about their prospects in the United States try the country to the north instead, according to Globe and Mail. Mr. The move ensures the continuation of one of the most divisive battles of the Trump administration, with the White House arguing the bans are intended to guard against terrorism, while civil liberties and immigrants' rights groups contend they are motivated by Islamophobia. Trump brought down his original order in January, banning entry by nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days and blocking refugees from all countries for 180 days. Trump revised it in March, dropping Iraq from the list and carving out exemptions for people who have a U.S. green card. After the federal court struck down that order, Mr. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

security screenings: It lacks the manpower to complete security screenings for claimants and hear cases in a timely manner, according to Globe and Mail. Often there are not enough tribunal members to decide cases or interpreters to attend hearings, the IRB said. Canada's refugee system was struggling to process thousands of applications even before 3,500 asylum seekers began crossing the U.S. border on foot in January. Explainer How do U.S. courts work A map of the Trump travel ban's long journey More than 4,500 hearings scheduled in the first four months of 2017 were cancelled, according to the IRB data. That means more than 15,000 people who have filed claims so far this year, including the new arrivals from the United States, will have to wait even longer for their cases to be heard. The government is now focused on clearing a backlog of about 24,000 claimants, including people who filed claims in 2012 or earlier. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

visitors lack: Until then, the court said Monday, Trump's ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can be enforced if those visitors lack a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States, according to CTV. The ruling sets up a potential clash between the government and opponents of the ban over the strength of visitors' ties to the United States. The justices will hear full arguments in October in the case that has stirred heated emotions across the nation and pointed rebukes from lower courts saying the administration is targeting Muslims. A senior official said plans already had been written to enforce the ban aggressively. Those groups said they will be sending lawyers and monitors back to American airports, where the initial, immediate implementation of the ban in January caused chaos and confusion. But immigrant groups said relatively few people try to enter the United States without well-established ties. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

year struggle: It's a great, great message we are sending to our people we will be coming right to your house, right to your door, he said at the bus' unveiling on Monday afternoon, according to CBC. Canada and Manitoba M tis Federation sign MOU following historic Supreme Court land ruling'We are coming home Louis Riel' Manitoba M tis celebrate deal to end 146-year struggle There are about 120,000 M tis people in the province and 50 per cent of them live in rural or isolated areas, Chartrand said. The outreach bus will enable the MMF to connect with its population, particularly those who live outside of Winnipeg, said MMF President David Chartrand. Of that population, only about 22,000 are registered with the MMF. The outreach bus will enable the MMF to connect with its population, particularly those who live outside of Winnipeg. The ruling gives M tis people a stronger position to negotiate programs, services and land claims with the federal government. CBC He said it is very important that people register and understand their rights after a Supreme Court ruling in 2016 that said the federal government had jurisdiction over M tis people and Indigenous people without Indian status, meaning the government also has the same responsibility to them as it does to Inuit and people with status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

baptiste: The video shows pop singer Annie Villeneuve on Rue St, according to CTV. Denis on a float being pushed by what appears to be only people of colour. Jean Baptiste parade in Montreal is sparking outrage among some -- and calls for calm among others. Surrounding the float are droves of choir members, all dressed head-to-toe in white. Many of the commenters are critical of the event's lack of diversity, saying the float looked like some kind of historical depiction of slavery. The video has been shared more than 12,000 times, and has a running thread of hundreds of comments. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

colin mcconnell: Queen's Park should repeal the law, which criminalizes the poor for being poor, compounding inequality, clogging up the already overburdened court system and draining public coffers in the process, according to Toronto Star. This law is truly an ass. Colin McConnell By Star Editorial Board Sun., June 25, 2017 The legal clinic that launched a constitutional challenge last week to the Safe Streets Act, a heartless piece of legislation adopted in 1999 by the Mike Harris government, should be spared the trouble. Passed amid a moral panic about the rise of so-called squeegee kids, the act bans aggressive panhandling undertaken in a manner that is likely to cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety and security. After all, we know that there is often a yawning chasm between what causes ostensibly reasonable people to fear and what poses an actual threat. It should come as no surprise that this vaguely worded prohibition has been enforced more and more frequently even as instances of panhandling have steadily declined. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ethiopia: Tewodros Gebreselassie came to Canada from Ethiopia as a refugee many years ago, and said he took part in the walk to give a voice to those who do not have one, according to CBC. Saskatoon, Regina, Moosejaw to mark World Refugee Day with public events In Ethiopia we have a lot of refugees. A walk was held on Saturday in recognition of World Refugee Day, which happened earlier in the week. You know, some of them died oversea travelling Libya, to Europe. He added that in many foreign countries, it's hard to voice your thoughts about violence and corruption. And then some of them is ship sinking in the ocean, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrants: That's a stark contrast to GOP voters 65 and older only a third of that group says immigrants experience also found that 74 per cent of young whites believe that immigrants are targeted for discrimination a lot, compared to 57 per cent of white Americans of all ages, according to Metro News. However, among Republicans, only for the youngest group, between 18 and 29, is that view in the majority. While 41 per cent of Republicans of all ages believe immigrants face a lot of discrimination in the United States, the percentage increases to 60 per cent among Republicans between 18 and 29 years old, the survey found. Even 30-to-39-year-old Republicans are evenly split, 48 per cent to 48 per cent on whether immigrants undergo a lot of discrimination. That includes transgender people 62 per cent black Americans 57 per cent and gays and lesbians 58 per cent . Greg Goldstein, 20, and Ryan Kromsky, 24, are in the generation of Republicans that says immigrants face has been the basis of the American society, and to this day immigrants offer a great deal to the workforce, economy and overall success of America, said Goldstein, an economics major at the University of Maryland and president of the school's Progressive College Republicans. Overall, 63 per cent of Americans say there's a lot of discrimination against immigrants, the most who say of any group asked about in the poll. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

miami beach: They are reviewing resolutions that would strongly oppose Trump's crack down on illegal immigration, according to Metro News. Mayors were struck a blow in January, when Trump ordered to cut funding to jurisdictions that deny in some way co-operation with federal immigration agents. More than 250 mayors are meeting at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami Beach to take a stance on issues from climate change to the federal budget and health care. Most cities have defied the order, and a federal judge blocked it in April, at least temporarily. Garcetti argued that all he wants from immigration officials is that they conduct enforcement in a lawful, constitutional court-ordered way, referring to policies where sanctuary cities demand warrants to turn over suspects to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some of us are proud to be places of sanctuary, to protect immigrants, but this idea that we're in violation of something, I think is a big charade, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

neighbouring streets: He said three police officers burst into his house on Friday and grabbed his arms when he refused to follow them while wearing only shorts, an undershirt and slippers, according to Metro News. Once outside, I was horrified to see that there were not three, but a hundred policemen in uniform and in plainclothes around my house and in the neighbouring streets, said Hoang, who was a dual French-Vietnamese national before he was stripped of his Vietnamese citizenship last month. Pham Minh Hoang, a 61-year-old math lecturer, recounted his arrest and deportation in a phone interview Sunday with The Associated Press a few hours after his arrival in France. After being detained in front of his wife, Hoang said he was driven to a detention centre two hours away, where he spent 24 hours and was visited by the Consul General of France. Hoang's deportation came two weeks after he learned a presidential decree had revoked his Vietnamese citizenship. He said Vietnamese authorities forced him on a plane to Paris on Saturday night. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pre-computer era: Tebbutt was one of just a few dozen Canadian immigration officials sent after the Vietnam War by then prime minister Joe Clark's Conservative government to remote locales in Southeast Asia with the objective of bringing tens of thousands of Vietnamese boat people to Canada as refugees, according to CBC. After the fall of Saigon in 1975 to the Communist Viet Cong, there was a mass exodus of people out of the country. From there, we loaded ourselves and the cases of files this was pre-computer era onto a fishing boat, and sailed an hour or so to the refugee camp on Pulau Bidong island. Ron Atkey, Canada's immigration minister of the era, called it the largest and most ambitious resettlement effort in Canada's history, and many believe it inspires today's program for Syrian refugees. Margaret Tebbutt was one of a handful of female Canadian visa officers on Pulau Bidong, Malaysia, in 1979. The story of the Vietnamese boat people and the role of Canadian immigration officers has also been made into a Heritage Minute, released last week. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

signal hill: Quite frankly, it was ugly, according to CBC. The previous day I had walked through a deserted downtown with my family, finding only one open restaurant. John's from Signal Hill and wondered to myself, What have I done The snow covering was gone and the landscape was grey, brown, slushy and mucky. I was worried. Is N.L. immigration plan too ambitious 3 migrants share their thoughts Including myself, I noted that in each office was a person who had been directly affected by a violent crime. Two years earlier, in Johannesburg, a city of millions in South Africa, I had stepped out of my office and looked down the hallway. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

style wilderness: In a week in which a heatwave across Europe saw British schoolchildren and French bus drivers don skirts in protest at not being allowed to wear shorts, the momentum behind taking the trouser above the knee -- or further still -- seems unstoppable, according to CTV. While many women and some in the fashion police have long looked down their noses at men in shorts, bare legs may soon be the least of their worries. Scroll down or click here to vote in our poll of the day Fashion clearly feels that the time is right for men to get their legs out for the girls -- or for other men who like to admire a well sculpted calf. For as well as shorts, socks and sandals, which many thought had been safely confined to the style wilderness, are also back. Rick Owens lead out his collection with a model wearing only short shorts and boots, a leather saddlebag strapped to one thigh for extra he-man effect. Here are the three top trends for the Paris men's catwalks Legs -- including hairy ones -- were everywhere on the men's catwalks from the edgy newcomers Angus Chiang and Namacheko to Dior where Kris Van Assche matched micro shorts with tailored black suit jackets to show the maximum of thigh. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cash sweetener: The bidder has now returned with a cash sweetener, according to Globe and Mail. There are some theatrical scare tactics thrown in too. It took months of pondering, but last month a special committee of the U.S. tractor-maker's board finally did the right thing rejecting an all-share buyout from 88 per cent owner Fiat Industrial as too cheap. But this looks like a much fairer price to pay for squeezing out minorities. Don't stop here. X To continue reading this article, you must be a Globe Unlimited subscriber. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

culture kind: It was all for the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild event called, Little Stories on the Prairie, organized in celebration of Canadian Multicultural Day, according to CBC. It's really important to hear the voices of those that come from different places, because I think it's one of the best ways to learn about somebody else and where they're from, said event organizer Oin Nicholson. Writers and artists were gathered to perform storytelling, poetry and music. Multicultural Council begins community-bridging Canada 150 project As our Canadian culture gets more and more multicultural, I think it's important that every culture kind of gets representation, a voice. Rivera read some of her poetry about her life as a political exile of Chile. The event featured performances by writers Jennifer Graham and Martine No l-Maw, rapper Brad Bellegarde, also known as Info Red, and poet Mirtha Rivera. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

health outcomes: We know that racism whether it's overt, institutional or systemic measurably harms people's health, according to Toronto Star. Anti-Black racism in particular creates major disparities in health outcomes for Black people living in the GTHA. Ontario's community health centres, Aboriginal health access centres and partner organizations challenge racism every day by putting health equity at the centre of what we do. Brimbecom, Barry / Hitesh Bhardwaj/Youtube Sat., June 24, 2017 Re Woman's racist outburst speaks volumes, Paradkar, June 21Woman's racist outburst speaks volumes, Paradkar, June 21As primary health-care providers serving racialized communities, we are all too familiar with the racism experienced on a daily basis towards both our clients and racialized service providers. We are committed to creating spaces for safe, anti-oppressive and anti-racist health care including in the waiting room. Primary health care organizations across Ontario need access to better resources and staff training to tackle racism when and where it arises. Article Continued Below With the rise of divisive populist politics, these situations are likely to escalate. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.