immigrant community: The Trump administration has made very clear that they've declared war on the immigrant community on all levels, said Javier Valdes, co-executive director of the advocacy group Make the Road New York, according to The Chronicle Herald. Immigrant rights groups have joined in May Day activities for more than a decade, initially to push back against harsh legislative proposals and later to clamour for reform and legal status for immigrants in the country illegally who were brought to the U.S. as children or overstayed their visas. People were marching and holding other demonstrations for labour and immigrant rights from New York to Georgia to California on International Workers' Day, amid similar actions worldwide. Now, they want to drive turnout in the midterm elections. Elections have consequences, and the consequences for our community have been dire, and if we do not change the balance of power, we question our ability to remain free in this country, she said. Advocates hope voters target lawmakers who have pushed for measures that hurt immigrants and replace them with immigrant-friendly policymakers, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reception camp: Around 700,000 Rohingya fled the troubled area to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Burma's army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts, according to Toronto Star. State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area. Delegation members said they hope to help the refugees return quickly and safely to their homes there. Travelling by helicopter, they visited two villages, one transit centre and one reception camp, where refugees who return will initially be housed. Min Aung Hlaing. Read more Top-level UN team meets Burma leader in Rohingya probe Article Continued Below Indonesian fishermen rescue Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma Burma military put on UN blacklist for credibly suspected' of carrying out sexual violence They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence and upheaval, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Rohingya Muslims who did not flee. react-empty 140 The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday held talks with Burma officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander in chief Senior Gen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reception camp: State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area, according to The Chronicle Herald. Travelling by helicopter, they visited two villages, one transit centre and one reception camp, where refugees who return will initially be housed. Around 700,000 Rohingya fled their homes to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Myanmar's army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts. They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Muslims who did not flee. Min Aung Hlaing. The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday held talks with Myanmar officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander-in-chief Senior Gen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee claimants: It's a discussion we're having with the Americans about the various techniques that could be pursued on both sides of the border to ensure security and integrity, Goodale said as he left the weekly cabinet meeting, according to The Chronicle Herald. But this is very exploratory at the moment, scoping issues and potential solutions. The aim would be to stem the flow of refugee claimants, who have been coming into Canada from the U.S. in growing numbers over the last year. Last year, many of the asylum seekers were from Haiti and left the United States over fears of being deported as President Donald Trump threatened to end a temporary residency program. Manitoba and Quebec have been affected the most by the influx. In more recent months, new arrivals have increased dramatically, with many coming from Nigeria after spending only short periods of time in the U.S. before boarding buses destined for the border. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

request protection: And the U.S. is, officially, safe, according to Toronto Star. You can't claim refugee status in Canada if you've already tried in the States. Under Canada's Safe Third Country agreement with the U.S., refugee claimants have to request protection in the first safe country they arrive in, unless they qualify for an exception. But there is the law, and there is real life. Of the 7,800 people seeking asylum who have so far been processed by the immigration department, over 3,000 were intercepted as they walked across the border. The RCMP recently reported that, compared to the same time last year, the number of people walking across the border to claim asylum has tripled. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

caravan organizers: Mexico's National Human Rights Commission and Baja California state agencies said in a joint statement that their priorities were guaranteeing the safety of pregnant women and children and maintaining order, while respecting caravan members' right to protest, according to Vancouver Courier. Mexican officials sent doctors and nurses to the encampment on Wednesday for medical exams and to dispense medicine to people suffering respiratory problems and stomach pains. Mexican federal immigration officials and directors of privately run migrant shelters met with organizers at a large conference room table Tuesday night, gently encouraging caravan members to return to shelters for temporary housing. Caravan organizers said decisions on where to sleep rested with the asylum-seekers. At the end, they make their decision and we support them. said Roberto Corona, a leader of Pueblo Sin Fronteras.U.S. authorities say temporary capacity constraints have forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico. Our job is to give them information as accurately as we can. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pop star: Jealousy is a terrible thing, according to NOW Magazine. At the airport in London they wont let me board a plane to Canada for screening of documentary, she wrote. The British-Sri Lankan rapper and pop star real name Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam is scheduled to attend the Canadian premiere of her new documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto on Wednesday May 2 and participate in an on-stage conversation with NOW film critic Radheyan Simonpillai. Apparently a mystrious sic person has added a stamp on my name in 2017 for some issue. A spokesperson for Hot Docs said the festival has been in contact with M.I.A.'s reps, who are working to find a solution. No one knows who or what its about !!!. Hummm I wonder who is that powerful in Canada/US who also doesn't want me to talk about the film Cloak and daggers... its basically criminal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

show: The public debate moved on to an even wider television audience this past Sunday when Quebec's first female premier Pauline Marois joined journalist and author Pascale Navarro and former MNA Yolande James to continue discussing the issue on Tout le Monde en Parle, the province's most popular French-language talk show, according to National Observer. When we legislate parity, we find the women, and when we don't, we find excuses, Gouv Feminin founder and president, Caroline Codsi, concluded. qcpoli cdnpoli feminism toulastake Watching Sunday's show was an exercise in frustration. The non-partisan group is calling for parity in Quebec politics and specifically, asking for an amendment to the Election Act that would force all political parties to ensure women make up 40 to 60 per cent of all candidates by the 2020 election. Few issues manage to elicit as much agreement in what the end result should be, while remaining hopelessly divided on what the methods employed to get there are even among many women. The irrefutable fact is this Quebec women are still woefully underrepresented in the public sphere and governments and political parties have repeatedly failed to address the problem. As a result, we remain at an impasse those who demand forced quotas from political parties because they see it as the only way to true democratic representation Navarro and those who prefer to gently nudge progress in the right direction Marois and Yolande the way you do a hopelessly slow turtle that keeps turning its head to look at you accusingly because you woke it up from its nap. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

badian: See listing, according to NOW Magazine. Rating NNNNThis new romantic comedy from SMOOTHIELAND artistic director and Blyth Festival creator-in-residence Marie Beath Badian has the vibrant manic energy of a good sitcom, but also shines a light on the insidious microaggressions that many newcomers to Canada endure. Joseph Michael Photography PRAIRIE NURSE by Marie Beath Badian Thousand Islands Playhouse/Factory 125 Bathurst . Runs to May 13. 30- 50. 416-504-9971, factorytheatre. Set in the 1960s and inspired by her mother's own immigrant experience, Badian's story follows the arrival of two young nurses from the Philippines at a small-town hospital in Arborfield, Saskatchewan. Badian creates a string of awkward and telling mistaken-identity moments similar to those befalling the twins in The Comedy Of Errors despite the fact that Penny and Puring are not alike at all. But before the pair arrive, we're introduced to the lively staff they soon meet; there's no-nonsense head nurse Marie Anne Catherine Fitch ultra-enthusiastic high-school volunteer Patsy Janelle Hanna bug-eyed hunting-obsessed Scottish doctor Miles Mark Crawford folksy handyman Charlie Layne Coleman and lab technician/local hockey star Wilf Matt Shaw . The plot turns on these all-white characters' inability to differentiate between their new Filipino coworkers, Indepencia Isabel Kanaan who goes by Penny, and Purificacion Belinda Corpuz who is called Puring. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

canada ruling: The high court is expected to rule soon on whether it will examine the legal issues at the heart of the unusual espionage saga, according to Vancouver Courier. The brothers Timothy, 27, and Alexander, 23, were born in Canada in the 1990s to parents using the aliases Donald Heathfield and Tracey Ann Foley. The Federal Court of Canada ruling follows a similar decision in the case of his younger brother, Alexander.article continues below Trending Stories65 unusual gifts Ideas for the paleo, yogi, crossfitter, photographer and more Parents of missing man mark painful five-year anniversary Sweets for Diwali take a month's preparation Point Grey tax rally protests 'ideological' property tax However, the Supreme Court of Canada will have the final say on whether the young men are Canadian citizens. The parents were arrested eight years ago in the United States and indicted on charges of conspiring to act as secret agents on behalf of Moscow. Timothy tried to renew his Canadian passport in 2011, but was told to first apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate. In all, 11 people four of whom claimed to be Canadian were indicted on charges of conspiring to act as agents in the U.S. on behalf of the SVR, successor to the notorious Soviet KGB. Heathfield and Foley admitted to being Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

algonquin park: And her upcoming film looks at families from Syria and Iraq who have come to Canada courtesy of sponsors here, according to The Chronicle Herald. I wanted to do a film that was about immigration and the beauty of immigration from this country, when we're going through such horrors in the U.S. Kopple, who lives south of the border, said in a recent interview in Toronto. On Thursday, she'll speak onstage in Toronto as part of her outstanding achievement award retrospective at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. And I wanted to do it through the eyes of kids. The story focuses on Camp Pathfinder in Algonquin Park, where boys from the Syrian and Iraqi families she follows were able to attend thanks to their sponsors. Kopple said she's already shot the film and is nearly finished it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

bone marrow: And that was the last day that I felt normal, according to Toronto Star. A month later, the engineering student's cold turned into lumps on his body and several trips to the hospital later his diagnosis came Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, a rare slow-growing cancer. I remember I felt more tired than usual and it was the middle of the day and I turned everything off and I thought I'm going to have a nap, he said. Although chemotherapy is helpful, in Nguyen's case it failed. But finding a match is just as rare as the disease. Doctors informed his family that the only way the 25-year-old had any chance of survival was to do a stem-cell transplant, removing his entire bone marrow and replacing it with fresh stem cells from a donor. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

food explorer: It turns out some of America's first immigration battles were over plants, not people, according to The Chronicle Herald. In the late 1800s, quantity, not variety, was the issue at most American tables. Who knew avocados, citrus and cherry blossoms had a spellbinding past full of smuggling, spying, tycoons and death-defying adventure The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone brings a forgotten era of American food history back to the table, with a timely twist. Different regions had specialities, but many farmers struggled to produce bountiful crops of grains, fruits and vegetables, partly because of limited native varieties. Stone brings drama, humour and perspective to what began as a tentative U.S. Department of Agriculture program. A Midwest farm boy named David Fairchild dreamed of bountiful fields and tables, and he ultimately visited more than 50 countries to bring tens of thousands of new plant varieties to America. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

frydman-kohl: Many speakers commended emergency service personnel on their work the day of the incident, including the officer who was able to arrest the suspect without firing his gun, according to CTV. In Toronto, in Ontario, in Canada, we don't run away -- we run to help others, said Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl of the Beth Tzedec Congregation, the largest synagogue community in Canada. Religious leaders of multiple faiths led the speakers' list at the event, all of them sharing messages of support and strength in the face of the tragedy that left 10 people dead and 16 more injured. Frydman-Kohl also referenced other van attacks in cities such as Paris, Beirut and Charlottesville, Virginia. Before the vigil, thousands took part in what was billed as a walk of healing and solidarity, roughly following the route of last Monday's attack. Toronto has felt the pain of other places, and those cities now share our horror and hurt, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

guardian newspaper: We will do right by the Windrush generation, Javid told lawmakers in the House of Commons, according to CTV. Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Javid to the key job Monday, hours after predecessor Amber Rudd resigned over her role in what has become known as the Windrush scandal. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would do whatever it takes to resolve the status of all those who have become innocent casualties of the Conservative government's tough immigration policies. The furor began weeks ago when the Guardian newspaper reported that some people from the Caribbean who have lived in Britain for decades had been refused medical care or threatened with deportation because they couldn't produce paperwork proving their right to reside in the country. Others have been told by the government that they are in Britain illegally and must leave. Those affected are known as the Windrush generation after the ship Empire Windrush, which in 1948 brought hundreds of Caribbean immigrants to a Britain seeking nurses, railway workers and others to help it rebuild after the devastation of World War II. They and many subsequent Commonwealth immigrants had an automatic right to settle in the U.K. But some have now been denied housing, jobs or medical treatment because of requirements that employers and doctors check people's immigration status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hursh jaswal: It is apparent that they obtained those visas with the express intent to actually go to Canada, said Hursh Jaswal, communications director for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, according to CTV. They land in the United States, where they stay for a very short period of time, and then make their way to Canada. So far this year, the majority of illegal migrants arriving in Canada are Nigerians who have recently been issued U.S. travel visas. That's why Canada is now working with its American counterparts to try to stop Nigerian travellers to the United States from using their U.S. visas as a ticket to Canada -- a practice Jaswal calls an abuse of U.S. visas for the purpose of asylum. Last year, the majority of irregular migrants who arrived in Canada were Haitian, which was largely attributed to the Trump administration's decision to lift the temporary protected status for immigrants from Haiti living in the U.S. This year's shift toward Nigerians is not surprising to Kehinde Olalere, a Canadian immigration lawyer who grew up in Nigeria and regularly travels to the country. Canadian officials in Nigeria are now working directly with their U.S. counterparts to develop assessment indicators that would flag cases deemed to be high risk, Jaswal said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

transport truck: In early April a bus full of young hockey players The Humboldt Broncos coaches, trainers and a sportscaster crashed into a loaded transport truck on a lonely stretch of highway in central Saskatchewan, according to Toronto Star. Sixteen people died, 13 were injured. But despite the differences in location and cause of the suffering and deaths, I couldn't help but notice that the response, whether it emerged in Saskatchewan or downtown Toronto and then spread across the country, seemed quintessentially Canadian. The classic Canadian road trip a small town hockey team on its way to another small town for a match that everyone in both towns was excited about. Just over two weeks later an addled young man aimed a van down a busy Toronto sidewalk. Thousands of such road trips are taken across the country every winter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

windrush scandal: We will do right by the Windrush generation, Javid told lawmakers in the House of Commons, according to Toronto Star. Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Javid to the key job Monday, hours after predecessor Amber Rudd resigned over her role in what has become known as the Windrush scandal. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would do whatever it takes to resolve the status of all those who have become innocent casualties of the Conservative government's tough immigration policies. Read more Article Continued Below U.K. interior minister Amber Rudd quits over growing immigration scandal The furor began weeks ago when the Guardian newspaper reported that some people from the Caribbean who have lived in Britain for decades had been refused medical care or threatened with deportation because they couldn't produce paperwork proving their right to reside in the country. Others have been told by the government that they are in Britain illegally and must leave. Those affected are known as the Windrush generation after the ship Empire Windrush, which in 1948 brought hundreds of Caribbean immigrants to a Britain seeking nurses, railway workers and others to help it rebuild after the devastation of Second World War. react-empty 141 They and many subsequent Commonwealth immigrants had an automatic right to settle in the U.K. But some have now been denied housing, jobs or medical treatment because of requirements that employers and doctors check people's immigration status. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

reception camp: Travelling by helicopter, they visited two villages, one transit centre and one reception camp, where refugees who return will initially be housed, according to Vancouver Courier. They also met with members of different groups affected by the violence, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and some Muslims who did not flee. Around 700,000 Rohingya fled their homes to squalid camps in Bangladesh last year as Myanmar's army launched a brutal crackdown following insurgent attacks on security posts.article continues below Trending Stories Sweets for Diwali take a month's preparation Point Grey tax rally protests 'ideological' property tax Massive fire destroys East Vancouver printing business Five unregulated, Uber-like companies already operating in Richmond State television showed the ambassadors touring the border area. The ambassadors visited refugees in Bangladesh over the weekend, and on Monday held talks with Myanmar officials, including the country's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and military commander-in-chief Senior Gen. At a news conference in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, before flying out of the country, the ambassadors reminded Myanmar's government of its obligations as a member of the United Nations. Min Aung Hlaing. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration detainees: Immigration detainees do not always stay in custody all the way up to their pending immigration hearings or deportation, according to NOW Magazine. Instead, their detention is reviewed on a regular basis once within 48 hours of arrest, a second time within a week of the first review and from then on, approximately every 30 days. As I described in detail in a previous article, these detentions are authorized by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act IRPA . Foreign nationals and permanent residents can be put in jail if they are believed to be inadmissible to Canada and if they are found to be either a danger to the Canadian public or unlikely to appear for deportation or another immigration proceeding. At the end of these reviews, a member of the immigration division of the Immigration and Refugee Board Member decides whether or not the detainee will be released. Even when represented by counsel, the odds are stacked against the detainee. While, at a casual glance, these reviews give detainees repeated and regular chances to plead for their freedom, the actual process of detention reviews makes them a frustrating and often fruitless experience. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

relations: Included with museum admission 20, according to NOW Magazine. Her research focuses on relations with neighbours, and relations between global and local multicultural experiences in Canada. 1 am. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

vancouver resident: But Kurdi, a Vancouver resident, says Canada could and should do more to help, according to National Observer. I would like to see Canada to continue to open their borders and welcome refugees, not just from Syria, from anywhere where people need help, she said in an interview. The photo of Alan's tiny body washed up on a Turkish beach was a bombshell that focused global attention on the Syrian refugee crisis. ; Since that time, Canada has welcomed more than 51,800 Syrian refugees, according to the latest government figures. Canada has the capacity to take in more and focus on those children when they come to this country. Before their deaths, the world was blind to the plight of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing from Syria in search of safety, she says. In her newly released book, The Boy on the Beach, Kurdi describes the painful and tragic details that led up to the deaths of Alan, his five-year-old brother Ghalib and their mother, Rehanna on Sept. 2, 2015. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

visas: They land in the United States, where they stay for a very short period of time, and then make their way to Canada, according to Vancouver Courier. That's why Canada is now working with its American counterparts to try to stop Nigerian travellers to the United States from using their U.S. visas as a ticket to Canada a practice Jaswal calls an abuse of U.S. visas for the purpose of asylum. So far this year, the majority of illegal migrants arriving in Canada are Nigerians who have recently been issued U.S. travel visas.article continues below Trending Stories Point Grey tax rally protests 'ideological' property tax65 unusual gifts Ideas for the paleo, yogi, crossfitter, photographer and more Parents of missing man mark painful five-year anniversary Sweets for Diwali take a month's preparation It is apparent that they obtained those visas with the express intent to actually go to Canada, said Hursh Jaswal, communications director for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. Canadian officials in Nigeria are now working directly with their U.S. counterparts to develop assessment indicators that would flag cases deemed to be high risk, Jaswal said. Nigerians fleeing the violence of Boko Haram and other systemic persecutions in Nigeria find it marginally easier to obtain travel visas from the U.S. compared to Canada. Last year, the majority of irregular migrants who arrived in Canada were Haitian, which was largely attributed to the Trump administration's decision to lift the temporary protected status for immigrants from Haiti living in the U.S. This year's shift toward Nigerians is not surprising to Kehinde Olalere, a Canadian immigration lawyer who grew up in Nigeria and regularly travels to the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

arab countries: Sunday's vote in 33 countries comes two days after thousands of Lebanese voted in six Arab countries, according to CTV. The vote marks the first time that Lebanese are allowed to vote abroad. Lebanon's political system distributes power among the country's different religious communities, and the main parties are led by political dynasties that fought one another during the 1975-1990 civil war. Millions of Lebanese live abroad, but Lebanon's state-run news agency says the number of registered voters is 82,970. Australia has the largest number of registered voters, with about 12,000, followed by Canada with 11,438 and the United States with about 10,000. The voting inside Lebanon will be held next Sunday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

david hickey: The email trail reveals federal staffers grappling with the painfully slow wheels of bureaucratic red tape as they try to respond to a torrent of media requests, all the while fussing with the minutiae of wording government statements that did little to address the most burning questions, according to CTV. The Canadian Press requested all emails dealing with the subject Syrian refugees that were received and obtained by David Hickey, then-director general of communications for the federal Immigration Department, for the three days following the death of Alan Kurdi. New documents obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act provide a revealing look at the often-frantic flurry of internal government communications that erupted in the days after a heart-rending photo of the toddler's corpse rocketed around the world. The ensuing documents totalled 532 pages. Canada, which was in the throes of a federal election campaign, was linked to the boy in initial media reports that mistakenly stated his family's application to come to Canada had been rejected. On the morning of Sept. 3, 2015, the photo of Alan lying dead on the beach appeared in newspapers around the world. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

frydman-kohl: Many speakers commended emergency service personnel on their work the day of the incident, including the officer who was able to arrest the suspect without firing his gun, according to The Chronicle Herald. In Toronto, in Ontario, in Canada, we don't run away we run to help others, said Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl of the Beth Tzedec Congregation, the largest synagogue community in Canada. Religious leaders of multiple faiths led the speakers' list at the event, all of them sharing messages of support and strength in the face of the tragedy that left 10 people dead and 16 more injured. Frydman-Kohl also referenced other van attacks in cities such as Paris, Beirut and Charlottesville, Virginia. Before the vigil, thousands took part in what was billed as a walk of healing and solidarity, roughly following the route of last Monday's attack. Toronto has felt the pain of other places, and those cities now share our horror and hurt, he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.