immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

thursday voting: Public outcry is mounting over the family separations, but so far, there's no clear roadmap for Thursday voting on the emotional issue dividing Republicans, according to The Chronicle Herald. With the immigration bills teetering in the House, the White House launched an eleventh-hour push to try to bring Republicans onboard. Trump has said he's 1,000 per cent behind both GOP bills, but restive House Republicans have all but begged GOP leaders for more clarity about what the president would actually sign. Ryan took a group of wavering lawmakers to the White House to meet with Trump in hopes he could persuade them. The results were mixed, with some lawmakers newly announcing their support for a compromise bill, but others digging in against it. Back on Capitol Hill, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also met with House Republicans. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

paddles check: Some can afford to come but others need a little help from kind sponsors, like the folks who generously donate to the Star's Fresh Air Fund, according to Toronto Star. Life jackets Check. Affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren Conference of Ontario, Camp Crossroads' summer-long programs and events embrace the spiritual and recreational needs of children, teens, adults and families. Paddles Check. With canoe safety lessons learned on land, the kids and their leader are keen to make waves at Camp Crossroads. Then, let's get going. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

toronto: Clare McMullen-Crummey brought baby Whit to protest the U.S. practice of separating child migrants from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border at a World Refugee Day demonstration outside federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen's Toronto constituency office, according to Toronto Star. NICHOLAS KEUNG / TORONTO STAR Laura Prado was among those voicing their opposition to the U.S. policy of separating child migrants from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during a protest outside federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen's Toronto constituency office on Wednesday. Instead, the Toronto woman attended a rally on World Refugee Day outside the federal immigration minister's constituency office on Ingram Dr. to protest the U.S. practice of separating child migrants from their parents and Canada's initial silence over its neighbour's controversial move. Prado and other protesters want Canada to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement saying the U.S. cannot be considered safe for refugees. I am a mother. NICHOLAS KEUNG / TORONTO STAR I am an immigrant. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump: Some might say the PM's comment is an understatement and they'd be right, according to Toronto Star. Some might say what's going on in the United States is more than wrong. What's going on in the United States is wrong, the PM told reporters, referring to the forced separation of migrant children and infants from their parents at the U.S. border, and their detainment in old warehouses, a practice U.S. President Donald Trump is working to halt after international public outcry. It's evil. Trump may claim to have acted in accordance with a law that predates his presidency when he oversaw the separation of migrant families, but he lied. Again, they'd be right. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

zero-tolerance policy: The order does not end the zero-tolerance policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally, according to CTV. But it would keep families together while they are in custody, expedite their cases and ask the Defence Department to help house them. It was a dramatic turnaround for Trump, who has been insisting, wrongly, that his administration had no choice but to separate families apprehended at the border because of federal law and a court decision. It also doesn't change anything yet for the some 2,300 children taken from their families since the policy was put into place. Until Wednesday, the president, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other officials had repeatedly argued the only way to end the practice was for Congress to pass new legislation, while Democrats said Trump could do it with his signature alone. The news in recent days has been dominated by searing images of children held in cages at border facilities, as well as audio recordings of young children crying for their parents -- images that have sparked fury, question of morality and concern from Republicans about a negative impact on their races in November's midterm elections. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

candidate wai: We have no desire to be associated with separating families, or worse, to profit from it, American said in a statement, according to Vancouver Courier. United then issued a statement in which CEO Oscar Munoz said the company's purpose is to connect people. Facing growing opposition to his administration's recent policy of separating migrant families, President Donald Trump signed an order later in the day to keep families together at the nation's southern border.article continues below Trending Stories Mayoral candidate Wai Young promises to scrap bike lanes in Vancouver Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C. City orders closure of Regent Hotel in Downtown Eastside Hundreds gather in Vancouver to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day The issue had galvanized flight attendants, some of whom took to social media to post accounts of seeing young passengers whom they believed to be migrants separated from their parents. This policy and its impact on thousands of children is in deep conflict with that mission and we want no part of it, he said. Despite being provided facts on this issue, these airlines clearly do not understand our immigration laws, the spokesman, Tyler Houlton, said in a statement. Southwest, Frontier and Alaska also criticized the policy and asked not to be involved in transporting separated children.A spokesman for the Homeland Security Department criticized the airlines in strong terms, accusing them of no longer wanting to help the agency protect the travelling public and reunite unaccompanied illegal immigrant children with their families. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum seekers: The prime minister also repeated his remarks in French, but used a different word what is happening in the United States is unacceptable, according to National Observer. Trudeau has been called upon to condemn the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy, under which asylum seekers who cross illegally into the U.S. are charged with federal crimes and separated from their children, who are detained in guarded, fenced enclosures. What's going on in the United States is wrong, Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on June 20. ; I can't imagine what the families who are living through this are enduring, he added, saying this is not the way we do things in Canada. Earlier this week he had said he would not play politics over immigration policies when it comes to the controversial U.S. practice. The council says the U.S. cannot be considered a safe country for refugees in light of the disturbing events at the U.S. border. On Wednesday, the Canadian Council for Refugees joined others, including NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, in urging the federal government to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s: The laws instead appeared to be a message from the state that it didn't want to participate in federal immigration policies, U.S. Judge John Mendez said.article continues below Trending Stories Mayoral candidate Wai Young promises to scrap bike lanes in Vancouver City orders closure of Regent Hotel in Downtown Eastside Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C. Cost of living stats indicate tough road ahead for Vancouver families We're not going along anymore, we're not participating, he said about how he read the state's motives, according to Vancouver Courier. Outside the courthouse in California's capital city, scores of people protested U.S. immigration policies. A U.S. judge said Wednesday that he was not convinced California enacted protections for immigrants in the country illegally in an effort to interfere with federal immigration enforcement potentially undercutting a key argument by the Trump administration in its lawsuit seeking to block three state laws. Some carried signs that said Keep Families Together and Family Separation is UnAmerican, referring to the administration's zero tolerance policy on illegal border crossings that has separated children from their families. California has been a leader in opposing Trump administration policies, filing more than 50 lawsuits, mostly over immigration and environmental decisions, and notching some significant court victories. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday ending the separations but not the policy that prosecutes all adults caught crossing illegally. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

regent hotel: Public outcry is mounting over the family separations, but so far, there's no clear roadmap for Thursday voting on the emotional issue dividing Republicans.article continues below Trending Stories Mayoral candidate Wai Young promises to scrap bike lanes in Vancouver City orders closure of Regent Hotel in Downtown Eastside Vancouver woman loses 6,000 in CRA scam Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C. With the immigration bills teetering in the House, the White House launched an eleventh-hour push to try to bring Republicans onboard, according to Vancouver Courier. Ryan took a group of wavering lawmakers to the White House to meet with Trump in hopes he could persuade them. Trump has said he's 1,000 per cent behind both GOP bills, but restive House Republicans have all but begged GOP leaders for more clarity about what the president would actually sign. Back on Capitol Hill, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also met with House Republicans. With congressional outcome uncertain and facing condemnation of the family separations from across the political spectrum the White House took action. The results were mixed, with some lawmakers newly announcing their support for a compromise bill, but others digging in against it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

case abdi: What the applicant is actually trying to do here is to seek a de facto grant of citizenship, Grant told Federal Court Judge Ann Marie McDonald, who later reserved her decision in the case, according to CTV. Abdi, who was born in Saudi Arabia in 1993, lost his mother in a refugee camp when he was four and came to Canada with his sister and aunts two years later. Melissa Grant, who represents the federal public safety minister, told a Federal Court hearing Tuesday that a decision by the Canada Border Services Agency to refer Abdoul Abdi to a deportation hearing should not be overturned by a judicial review. He was taken into provincial care shortly after arriving in Nova Scotia. Abdi developed behavioural problems that advocates say were not adequately treated. He was moved 31 times between foster homes, but he was never granted citizenship while he was growing up in the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

owners: The Statistics Canada study, published Monday, drew on data collected from surveys in 2011 and 2014 on the financing and growth of small and medium-sized businesses in Canada, according to Toronto Star. Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press Approval rates for debt financing or trade credit applications fall within about five percentage points for both immigrant and Canadian-born owners. Among other conclusions, it said there is weak evidence to suggest access to financial capital is more of an issue for immigrant owners of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses. Overall, both immigrant and Canadian-born owners have very high approval rates, the study's authors wrote. What still separates them are the reasons for rejection. The differences in approval rates appear to be relatively small and may be related to differences in firm or owner characteristics. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

protesters march: Protesters march against the separation of migrant children from their families on Monday in Los Angeles, according to Toronto Star. Mario Tama / Getty Images Here is a selection of their responses, ranging across the country and many denominations. Many said they typically avoid politics in their preaching, but this week they felt compelled to speak out. Pastor Robert Franek preached at Faith Lutheran Church, a mainline Protestant church in Galesburg, Ill In just six weeks from mid-April through May, some 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and placed in detention centres. Asylum seeking is not a crime. . . . This barbaric practice of taking a nursing infant out of her mother's embrace should alarm us all. This immoral and unconscionable policy is being justified by a twisting of scripture by those who know neither the biblical imperative to treat the foreigner with compassion and love nor the Constitution that protects the basic human rights of all people. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

quebec city: He was released with a promise to appear in court in Montreal on August 16 to face charges of breaking and entering, mischief, criminal harassment, and intimidation, according to CTV. Montreal police said seven other people will likely be arrested in connection with the case. Police in Quebec City executed the warrant and arrested Raphael Levesque, 34, the head of the anti-immigrant group Atalante Quebec on Monday. On May 23, Levesque and several other people entered the Montreal offices of Vice Media while pretending to deliver flowers. At the time Montreal police said they were not investigating because nothing was damaged and nobody was hurt however Premier Philippe Couillard, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the next day that the incursion was an attack on freedom of of the press. Once inside they threw leaflets around the office and handed a mocking trophy to a journalist, Simon Coutu, who had written articles about Atalante's failed attempts to win support for their far-right cause in Montreal. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

safety minister: What the applicant is actually trying to do here is to seek a de facto grant of citizenship, Grant told Federal Court Judge Ann Marie McDonald, who later reserved her decision in the case, according to The Chronicle Herald. Abdi, who was born in Saudi Arabia in 1993, lost his mother in a refugee camp when he was four and came to Canada with his sister and aunts two years later. Melissa Grant, who represents the federal public safety minister, told a Federal Court hearing Tuesday that a decision by the Canada Border Services Agency to refer Abdoul Abdi to a deportation hearing should not be overturned by a judicial review. He was taken into provincial care shortly after arriving in Nova Scotia. Abdi developed behavioural problems that advocates say were not adequately treated. He was moved 31 times between foster homes, but he was never granted citizenship while he was growing up in the province. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

trump administration: Human rights attorney Jennifer Harbury said she received the tape from a whistleblower and told Pro Publica it was recorded in the last week, according to CTV. She did not provide details about where exactly it was recorded. Papa! Papa! one child is heard weeping in the audio file that was first reported by the non-profit Pro Publica and later provide to The Associated Press. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she had not heard the audio but said children taken into custody by the government are being treated humanely. The audio surfaced as politicians and advocates flocked to the U.S.-Mexico border to visit U.S. immigration detention centres and turn up the pressure on the Trump administration. She said the government has high standards for detention centres and the children are well cared for, stressing that Congress needs to plug loopholes in the law so families can stay together. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

washington post: The parents are detained in federal facilities and, because children can't be held there, they are being warehoused in cages, according to Toronto Star. The AP toured a holding facility in South Texas that's holding hundreds of immigrant children. The former first lady wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post, castigating the U.S. President's newly enforced zero-tolerance policy toward asylum seekers that in the past several weeks has officially seen more than 2,300 children separated from their parents. While reporters were not allowed to record the tour, video released by border patrol shows them waiting in a series of cages created by metal fencing. Some parents are being deported without their children. The Associated Press There are no regulations around properly identifying children, no plan toward reuniting them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cent jump: The statistics also show Canada became the ninth-largest recipient of asylum seekers, more than doubling the number of claims in a single year at 47,800, according to Vancouver Courier. And for the first time in five years, the United States became the largest recipient of new asylum applications with more than 330,000 claims lodged in 2017 a 27 per cent jump from the year before. The annual Global Trends report from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees was released Tuesday, showing the worldwide total number of displaced people reached a record 68.5 million last year, due to global wars, violence and persecution.article continues below Trending Stories City orders closure of Regent Hotel in Downtown Eastside Minimum wage increases go into effect June 1 across B.C. Vision announces pool of potential council candidates Greater Vancouver home prices to drop 21 per cent by 2019 analysis In 2017 alone, more than 16 million people were newly displaced. But U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear Tuesday that asylum seekers who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are not welcome in America. And we're allowing these people into our country Not with me. In a speech Tuesday, Trump accused many of these migrants of being child and human smugglers who try to game the system, invoking references to the notorious international criminal gang MS-13 attacking children with knives, not guns, because it's much more painful. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city: When agents tried to make immigration inspections, two of the three vehicles a 2007 Suburban and a 2008 Tahoe led authorities on a high speed chase.article continues below Trending Stories City orders closure of Regent Hotel in Downtown Eastside City wants to curb land speculation along Vancouver's Broadway corridor City looks to buy or expropriate Regent and Balmoral hotels Will there ever be a Great Wolf Lodge in Squamish The Suburban, carrying 14 people and travelling more than 100 mph 161 kph lost control and overturned on Texas Highway 85 as it was entering Big Wells, a town about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio, according to Vancouver Courier. Most of the occupants were ejected. The crash happened Sunday after Border Patrol became suspicious of three vehicles travelling in a convoy between El Indio and Carrizo Springs, Texas, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the western district of Texas. Four passengers died at the scene and another died en route to the hospital. The man driving that SUV, 20-year-old Jorge Luis Monsivais Jr., was among those charged, along with the driver of the vehicle that did not take off when agents approached, 55-year-old Marcial Gomez Santana. The names of the victims have not been released. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lina boivin: The byelection was precipitated by the resignation of rookie Liberal MP Denis Lemieux, according to National Observer. He won the riding almost by fluke in the 2015 general election, with just 31 per cent of the vote. With 181 of 188 polls reporting, Conservative candidate Richard Martel had captured 53 per cent of the vote in a federal byelection held in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord more than 5,000 votes ahead of Liberal Lina Boivin, who took 29 per cent. ; The NDP and Bloc Quebecois candidates were not in contention, capturing just 8.7 per cent and 5.7 per cent respectively, while the Green candidate brought up the rear with just 3.1 per cent of the vote. At that time, the contest was a four-way fight, with the NDP capturing 29.7 per cent of the vote, the Bloc taking 20.5 per cent and the Conservatives taking 16.6 per cent. The Conservatives, who've been assiduously wooing former separatists and soft nationalists in the riding, benefited from the collapse in support for the Bloc and NDP, vaulting from fourth place to first. Boivin's showing Monday was only marginally worse than Lemieux's but there was no longer a split vote for her to benefit from. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minister: Amnesty International also weighed in, describing children being torn from the arms of their parents and placed into cages as nothing short of torture. ; But Trudeau would not offer an opinion on the controversial policy, saying his role as prime minister is to stand up for Canadian values but also to maintain a constructive relationship with the U.S. What we will not do is play politics with this, the prime minister said, according to National Observer. We understand how important it is to be firm and unequivocal as we protect and support human rights around the world. The U.S. government is under fire for its zero tolerance policy including from the human rights chief of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which condemned the practice Monday as unconscionable. And we will continue to do that both by example and by engagement with the world. As part of the policy, all irregular or undocumented migrants to the U.S. are being referred for federal prosecution and their children are taken and placed in holding facilities. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the so-called zero tolerance policy in April as a response to a spike in illegal border crossings by asylum seekers in the United States. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

nielsen: She did not provide details about where exactly it was recorded, according to Vancouver Courier. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she had not heard the audio but said children taken into custody by the government are being treated humanely. Papa! Papa! one child is heard weeping in the audio file that was first reported Monday by the non-profit Pro Publica and later provided to The Associated Press.article continues below Trending Stories City wants to curb land speculation along Vancouver's Broadway corridor City orders closure of Regent Hotel in Downtown Eastside City looks to buy or expropriate Regent and Balmoral hotels Nature's Path owner to pay 32k fine Human rights attorney Jennifer Harbury said she received the tape from a whistleblower and told Pro Publica it was recorded in the last week. She said the government has high standards for detention centres and the children are well cared for and stressed that Congress needs to plug loopholes in the law so families can stay together. The president was to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the crisis with House Republicans. The audio surfaced as politicians and advocates flocked to the U.S.-Mexico border to visit U.S. immigration detention centres and turn up the pressure on the Trump administration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

law: Persons who violate the law of our nation are subject to prosecution, according to The Chronicle Herald. I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order. He said Illegal entry into the United States is a crime as it should be. Later in the same day, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders echoed these sentiments, saying that it is very biblical to enforce the law and that is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible. Scripture commands Christians to help the poor, to recognize the importance of the family, and to criticize unjust laws. As a scholar whose research is on Christian ethics, human rights and obligations to the poor, I would dispute this interpretation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

border patrol: Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets, according to The Chronicle Herald. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn't know because the child's aunt was somewhere else in the facility. One cage had 20 children inside. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl's diaper. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility that's divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. The U.S. Border Patrol on Sunday allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility where it holds families arrested at the southern U.S. border, responding to new criticism and protests over the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy and resulting separation of families. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

government loans: Through the telling of stories, Emesih hopes to not only empower immigrants and inspire others, but attract more newcomers to the region, according to The Chronicle Herald. In May he published the 10th edition of his magazine, My Halifax Experience. My own story is in everyone else's story, he said. In this edition, five immigrant women he believes have had an influence on the economic and social fabric of Nova Scotia were profiled. Emesih published the first edition of his magazine in the winter of 2016 without government loans or subsidies. The women include provincial Immigration Minister Lena Diab and Ann Divine of Ashanti Leadership and Development Services. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s: It's just vicious and cruel, said O'Reilly, a Toronto nurse practitioner, according to Toronto Star. Americans are not vicious, cruel people, but it happens because of apathy. I can't imagine the trauma for the kids being taken away from their parents. We can't sit down and let it happen. NICHOLAS KEUNG / TORONTO STAR The couple will join a Toronto rally on Wednesday World Refugee Day in front of the Ingram Dr. office of Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen to protest against the increased enforcement of a policy that allows U.S. authorities to criminally prosecute anyone caught crossing the U.S. border illegally. Nurse practitioner Emmet O'Reily and wife Hilary Evans Cameron, a researcher at U of T's Centre for Ethics, organized a protest earlier this month outside the U.S. Consulate against the U.S. practice of separating migrant children from their parents. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

jane syvret: Jane Syvret plays with two of her three children in a park near their Toronto home, according to Toronto Star. Syvret, 27, who is of Indigenous and Black heritage, says her family is the face of the Campaign 2000 report. These ridings are also more likely to have high unemployment, low rates of labour force participation, more renters and people paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, says the report released Monday by Campaign 2000, a national coalition of more than 120 organizations dedicated to ending child poverty. Rick Madonik / Toronto Star The findings, based on the latest 2016 census and 2015 income tax data, suggest poverty is linked to persistent discrimination and systemic inequality, rather than luck, or poor individual choice, adds the report. She and her three young children live in Moss Park, part of Toronto Centre, the riding with the fourth highest child poverty rate in the country. Area single mother Jane Syvret, 27, who is of Indigenous and Black heritage, says her family is the face of the Campaign 2000 report. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.