canadian jurisdiction: The designation means undocumented refugees will have full access to local services regardless of their situation, with the city following in the footsteps of Toronto, Hamilton and London, Ont, according to Toronto Star. Mayor Denis Coderre told reporters he felt compelled to act because of events south of the border. Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS By Sidhartha Banerjee The Canadian Press Mon., Feb. 20, 2017 Montreal city council passed a motion Monday making it the latest Canadian jurisdiction to declare itself a sanctuary city for non-status immigrants. Read more Canada-U.S. border the final frontier for refugee-seekers Article Continued Below Toronto declared sanctuary city' to non-status migrants Hamilton declares itself sanctuary city' for undocumented immigrants One of the reasons I've done that is clearly because of what's happening in the United States and what I'm witnessing in Europe, Coderre said. react-empty 158 In recent weeks, more and more people have flowed illegally across the U.S. border into Canada as President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigration and imposes new restrictions on refugees. Given that current context, several Canadian cities have expressed interest in adopting similar motions, including Ottawa, Saskatoon and Regina. Canada Border Services Agency says 452 people filed a claim for refugee asylum at Quebec-U.S. land border crossings in January. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

entrepreneurship arts: The Awards Gala takes place on Mar. 10 at The Westin in downtown Calgary, and is emceed by the Homstretch's Doug Dirks, according to CBC. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the Immigrant Services Calgary website. Awards are presented in the categories of Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Arts and Culture; Youth Scholarships; Community Service; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math STEM ; Organizational Diversity; Lifetime Achievement and Achievement Under 35. Immigrant Services Calgary ISC is a comprehensive settlement agency that works together with newcomers and their families to make Canada home. Over the past 39 years, ISC has worked to assist immigrants and their families in participating fully in an integrated and cohesive Canadian society. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

executive director: We're well beyond a small minority or a fringe minority point right now, Kurl said, according to Huffington Post Canada. We're now into significant minorities of people. There has been a growing number of Canadians expressing concern over both the speed and the amount of refugees being resettled in Canada, Shachi Kurl, executive director of the Angus Reid Institute, told The Huffington Post Canada in an interview. President Trump banned resettlement of Syrian refugees in the U.S. indefinitely last month. In response, the Canadian government announced it would stand firm on its previous plan to resettle a total of 40,000 refugees this year, including 25,000 from Syria. In the same executive order, the president also barred people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country for 120 days. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration ban: Dhina said he'd heard of the desperate mid-winter border crossings by Africans seeking refugee status in southern Manitoba, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to bring in an immigration ban targeting seven majority Muslim countries, according to Hamilton Spectator. The 39-year-old father said it saddens him to see the increasing challenges for refugees, and the opposition growing in some nations. It was the end of a long trek for the Ethiopian refugees, who were aware of the moment's particular poignancy. They are closing a lot of countries ... It is very difficult for them. They will be jailed or killed. If they are going back to their original country, it will be dangerous for them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration minister: It will ensure people without status or documentation will not be reported to federal authorities when they receive city services - and they will have access to those services, including city-funded shelters, housing and food banks, according to CTV. The motion was put forward by Mayor Denis Coderre, who formerly served as Canada's immigration minister. The declaration was adopted unanimously by Montreal city council on Monday afternoon. We can straighten up that situation and find a way to address the undocumented, said Coderre. We can provide health care, housing, integration. Coderre said he thinks it's time for Montreal to offer more. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

refugee: The numbers include those seeking asylum at official points of entry, and those stopped by police after crossing in remote locations, according to Hamilton Spectator. There were seven refugee claimants in each year between 2011 and 2013, four in 2014 and only two in 2015. According to figures released by the Canadian Border Services Agency, there were 23 refugee claimants at the border in 2016 more than the previous four years combined. According to the border agency, there was one refugee claimant at the New Brunswick border last month. LeBlanc said he's at a loss to explain the spike in the numbers last year. The driving force behind a lot of people coming to Canada either immigrating through established streams of coming as refugees is that they want a safe place to live and raise their family, said Alex LeBlanc, executive director of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

saturday rally: Experts disagree, according to Toronto Star. Joe Raedle / GETTY IMAGES By Rick Noack The Washington Post Mon., Feb. 20, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump caused confusion during a Saturday rally in Florida when he said You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. At the rally, Trump seemed to imply that European countries that have taken in refugees have experienced crime wave. Sweden, who would believe this Trump then mentioned the French cities of Nice and Paris and the Belgian capital, Brussels. Although Trump did not explicitly say it, his remarks were widely perceived in the United States and abroad as suggesting that an attack had occurred Friday night in Sweden. The three European cities were all attacked by terrorists over the past two years. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian refugees: Related stories Afraid of deportation under Trump, refugees brave the cold, escape to B.C. Fear of the Trump government' driving more asylum-seekers to B.C. on foot Peace Arch border rally features those impacted by Trump travel ban An Angus Reid Institute survey of 1,508 Canadians discovered that one-in-four would actually support a Donald Trump-style ban on accepting Syrian refugees into the country, according to Metro News. That stands in contrast to the widely shared photographs this weekend of smiling Canadian police officers carrying asylum-seeking children across the border less widely shared were subsequent images of the same officers arresting and handcuffing some of the refugees. But while some have dismissed as fringe some of the party's leading candidates to replace ex-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, notably immigration critics Kellie Leitch and Kevin O'Leary, a new opinion poll suggests the sentiment is more widely shared by Canadians than previously thought. It appears that not all Canadians are welcoming of the newcomers. And two-in-five of those polled, or 38 per cent, believed that many people in their community would not be welcoming to a refugee family, according to the Feb. 6-9 poll released overnight on Monday. More than half, for instance, agreed with the statement Too many refugees don't make enough of an effort to fit into mainstream Canadian society. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

times square: The I Am A Muslim Too event was held in Times Square and was organized by several groups, including the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, according to CTV. Some protesters waved American flags, while others held signs saying No Muslim Ban. More than a thousand people of various faiths rallied in New York City on Sunday. Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke at the peaceful rally, saying we have to dispel the stereotypes and that America is a country founded to protect all faiths and all beliefs. He also has called for a temporary ban on people entering the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries. Trump has initiated a crackdown on illegal immigration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

travel: Still stressed after all these years School researcher dismayed by lack of progress When teachers talk Why CBC gathered 30 teachers to take us Inside the Classroom When she is working with students in the city, she thinks about the kids she's missing in the outer regions, according to CBC. It's an imperfect system, she said, and one where travel demands leave students without proper help. Each time Cathy Anstey hits the road to travel to a different school, she thinks about the kids she could be helping closer to home. It's very difficult to go home after a day and really feel good about what you've done because we know we're doing so much less than what they need, she said. She is also responsible for other schools, including one 30 minutes away with just one child. Anstey works in a city school with 28 children who require ESL instruction. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

liberties association: The contested allegations are the latest in a protracted battle between the maximum-security inmate, who has spent a total of more than 12 years in segregation during stints at numerous institutions around the country, and prison authorities, who appear to be at a loss about how to deal with him, according to The Waterloo Record. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association wrote Bobbi Sandhu, the warden of Kent Institution in Agassiz, B.C., to express its concerns about Nome's most recent prolonged stretch in segregation 130 days and his abhorrent treatment by prison staff. Timothy Nome, 42, who is serving an indeterminate sentence for punching a guard years ago, also claims correctional officers at the prison in British Columbia deliberately poured pig lard onto his kosher food and that authorities are denying him access to the courts. In the December letter, obtained by The Canadian Press, the association calls on Sandhu to investigate Nome's claim that he has been unable to take several grievances to court because authorities wouldn't allow him paper, a printer, or access to the prison law library. The association said it had not had any response to its letter. These are matters of utmost importance, the CCLA letter states. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

safety critic: TonyclementCPC https //t.co/MVqj72ci De Michelle Rempel, MP Michelle Rempel February 19, 2017Clement, who is the public safety critic for the Conservatives, tweeted his support for Rempel's comments, according to National Observer. Illegal crossings are unsafe and a burden on local communities. The government must respond to this situation in a way that keeps Canadians safe, and sends a strong message to those considering an illegal crossing that there are proper channels to do this, Rempel wrote.4/ The government must respond to this situation in a way that keeps Canadians safe, and sends a strong message to those considering... https //t.co/ekT73V7kYO Michelle Rempel, MP Michelle Rempel February 19, 20175/ an illegal crossing that there are proper channels to do this. Our laws should be enforced, he wrote. Our laws should be enforced. Illegal crossings are unsafe and a burden on local communities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

sanctuary city: One of the reasons I've done that is clearly because of what's happening in the United States and what I'm witnessing in Europe, Coderre said, according to National Observer. In recent weeks, more and more people have flowed illegally across the U.S. border into Canada as President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigration and imposes new restrictions on refugees. Mayor Denis Coderre told reporters he felt compelled to act because of events south of the border. Canada Border Services Agency says 452 people filed a claim for refugee asylum at Quebec-U.S. land border crossings in January. Toronto became Canada's first sanctuary city in 2013. Given that current context, several Canadian cities have expressed interest in adopting similar motions, including Ottawa, Saskatoon and Regina. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

textile stalls: It will increase rather than decrease ... This is not going to reduce, according to National Observer. At Minneapolis's Karmel Square Somali Mall, a labyrinthine market of textile stalls and tea shops with a mosque upstairs, virtually every vendor had a television tuned to 24-hour news channels running Trump's wild Thursday news conference. Sometimes when you're left with no options and you're looking for a better life for yourself, people do take risks, said Mohamud Noor, executive director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota. When asked what they thought of the man on the screen, many of the men gathered around shook their heads or scoffed. We know a lot of good things about Canadian people, said Mahamed Cali, who runs a local Somali-language radio station. Quizzed on their views on Canada, however, and many heaped praise on Trudeau and pointed out that his immigration minister, Ahmed Hussen, was once a Somali refugee. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

times square: The I Am A Muslim Too event was held in Times Square and was organized by several groups, including the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, according to The Waterloo Record. Some protesters waved American flags, while others held signs saying No Muslim Ban. More than a thousand people of various faiths rallied in New York City on Sunday. Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke at the peaceful rally, saying we have to dispel the stereotypes and that America is a country founded to protect all faiths and all beliefs. He also has called for a temporary ban on people entering the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries. Trump has initiated a crackdown on illegal immigration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

asylum: Janzen said he's done 95 television interviews over the last two weeks, according to CBC. Before that he'd only done one, a dozen years ago. The small border town of 671 has been galvanized to help asylum seekers, and the issue has certainly put the community on the map, attracting media attention from across the globe. But as the number of asylum seekers continues to surge, it's beginning to put a strain on local resources and raise some security concerns over potential risks to the residents, he said. Full coverage Refugees at the Canada-U.S. border Dozens of aslyum seekers, baby, cross into Manitoba Sunday So far, the asylum seekers have caused no trouble, and there have been no confrontations. It's starting to get concerning, because the numbers are growing, Janzen said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

city politicians: Vancouver's Trump International Hotel and Tower has transformed into a potent symbol of Trump's candidacy and presidency, observers say, according to CTV. Protests over U.S. policy inevitably end up on its doorstep and provincial and city politicians have said the Trump name doesn't represent Vancouver. A lot has changed since then. It's more than a beacon of racism, said Coun. It's a beacon of intolerance. Kerry Jang, who has urged the developer to drop the Trump brand. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

community organizer: Of the 767 complaint cases opened over 10 years, one-third were based on ethnic origin and skin colour, according to CBC. Jonathan Carmichael, a community organizer with the tenants' rights group BAIL, said that's only a fraction of the actual number of landlords refusing tenants for ethnic reasons. Since 2011, the number of complaints increased by 35 per cent compared to the five-year period from 2006 to 2011, the commission's annual report noted. It's definitely the tip of the iceberg, he said. There are very few tenants who will file a complaint. In fact, the number of tenants who experience discrimination is much higher than that. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

elliot: We just wanted to show the faces of these people and how amazing and beautiful they are, Nathan Elliot, founder of the company, said, according to CBC. Elliot recruited Hani al Moulia to be the man behind the lens. On Saturday, Front Runner Technologies hosted a photoshoot for the project, which will feature 150 different faces. It's really special for me because I'm one of these guys, said al Moulia, who left his home in Homs, Syria, when the country's devastating conflict began and members of his family were killed. What it's like at a refugee camp through the camera lens of a refugee Virtual reality film to show life through visually-impaired man's eyes Al Moulia said while the subjects of the photos may not yet speak the same language as the people in their new country, their face will be able to connect them to the new community. It's really important to, you know, tell people in this celebration that we're part of the new community. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

enforcement agents: Kelly outlines plans to hire thousands of additional enforcement agents, expand on the priority list for immigrants marked for immediate removal and enlist local law enforcement to help make arrests, according to a person briefed on the documents, who confirmed the details to The Associated Press, according to CTV. The surge of illegal immigration at the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources and has created a significant national security vulnerability to the United States, Kelly wrote. The memos dated Friday seek to implement President Donald Trump's broad directive to crack down on illegal immigration. He said apprehensions on the southern U.S. border had seen an additional surge of 10,000 to 15,000 per month from 2015 to 2016. The program has protected about 750,000 immigrants since its inception in 2012. The memos leave in place one directive from the Obama administration, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows young people who were brought into the country illegally as children to stay and obtain work permits. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

enforcement officers: Jail systems in other cities have also faced legal challenges contending it's unconstitutional to keep a person in jail after they're released on bail or complete their sentence, according to Metro News. The man who defeated Arpaio in the November election announced Friday night that he was doing away with the policy amid questions about its constitutionality. It was a policy put in place by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and widely denounced by critics who cited it as a pattern of unfair treatment toward immigrants. That means the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office will no longer keep immigrants past their release dates, putting more of the onus on Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officers. Penzone said the Maricopa County Attorney's Office informed him of the legal issues surrounding policy, and he responded by doing away with the practice. I have an obligation that this office act constitutionally and within the laws, Penzone said at a news conference. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

gunshot wounds: The charges stem from a Jan. 6 incident where police responding to call about a shooting on a ranch near Candelaria found Daugherty and another man in the hunting party, Edwin Roberts, with gunshot wounds, according to CTV. The men were part of a group of hunters and told authorities they were attacked by people who had illegally crossed the nearby border and tried to steal an RV some of the hunters were using. Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told Odesa television KOSA that a grand jury indicted Michael Bryant and Walker Daugherty on charges of using deadly conduct by discharging firearms in the direction of others. An investigation found that Daugherty shot Roberts and Bryant shot Daugherty, Dominguez said. Dominguez at the time suggested the agriculture commissioner needs to do his job and stick to that, and I'll do my job. The hunters' claim became fodder for a Facebook post by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who wrote the attack was another reason why a wall must be built to secure the Texas border to halt violent criminals and members of drug cartels coming in. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant novel: Nguyen's jagged, hostile and at times outrageously funny novel managed to turn the conventions and pieties of the immigrant novel on their head without compromising its lucid moral vision, according to Toronto Star. The Refugees is Nguyen's follow-up, a collection of short fiction that explores a more restrained cast of displaced people than the scheming soldiers, spies and politicians of The Sympathizer. Grove Atlantic By James Grainger Special to the Star Sun., Feb. 19, 2017 Literary award juries are not noted for rewarding bold, innovative fiction, but last year's Pulitzer Prize jury, along with about a half dozen others, got it right when they handed the prize to Viet Thanh Nguyen for his debut novel, The Sympathizer. In each story, characters are dropped into situations of extreme cultural, linguistic, and geographical displacement, forcing them to radically adjust their assumptions about themselves and the world. Nguyen's protagonists negotiate the war's continuing fallout displaced, resilient, often bound strict codes of behaviour and conduct completely out of place in contemporary America and even communist Vietnam. Many of the stories take place in the Vietnamese communities of California, communities created by the fallout of the Vietnam War, a cataclysm ever present though rarely spoken of. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration status: For an entire week he was anxious, he was scared, Shaie says over tea at Daalo Grill, a Minneapolis East African restaurant where she, Badal and a big group of friends would regularly hang out, according to The Chronicle Herald. You can read from his face. Badal, a Somali man who spent months trekking four continents before landing in the United States, had been preparing to appeal a rejected asylum application when Donald Trump became president. The Trump administration's hardline views on immigration have rattled many in the Midwestern city's large Somali community, regardless of their immigration status, says Shaie, a community activist. Somalia was also among seven Muslim-majority countries targeted in a travel ban imposed suddenly last month, which has since been halted in court. Trump singled out Somali newcomers at a campaign rally in Minneapolis two days before November's election, saying the city had suffered enough from their presence. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

saturday night: The government must respond to this situation in a way that keeps Canadians safe, and sends a strong message to those considering an illegal crossing that there are proper channels to do this, Rempel wrote, according to Hamilton Spectator. Clement, who is the public safety critic for the Conservatives, tweeted his support for Rempel's comments. Michelle Rempel and Tony Clement tweeted on Sunday that illegal crossings are unsafe and place a burden on local law enforcement. Illegal crossings are unsafe and a burden on local communities. Rempel's message was posted after Manitoba RCMP announced that another 22 people were intercepted crossing the border near Emerson on Saturday night. Our laws should be enforced, he wrote. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

practices hotline: The sentiments of Muslims have become perpetual casualties of wedge politics, according to Globe and Mail. The continual debasing of Muslims, culminating in the recent attack in Quebec City, is precisely why it is important for Muslims to see their leaders express solidarity with them. And they have been hurting because it was not long ago that they were implicitly targeted by something known as the Barbaric Cultural Practices Act and the completely gratuitous barbaric cultural practices hotline announced by Kellie Leitch and Chris Alexander, who are both now vying for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party. M-103 does precisely this in the form of a non-binding motion that condemns Islamophobia. On a practical level, it would result in the House of Commons's heritage committee taking tangible steps to study the issue, and perhaps make recommendations to address it. If the motion passes, its symbolism will do much to alleviate the deep suffering of many Muslims. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.