guard troops: Their counties are located within 40 kilometres of the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Toronto Star. Read more Trump wins pledges of 1,600 National Guard troops for Mexico border duty Article Continued Below Trump's tax cuts, budget spending bill to raise deficit to 1 trillion by 2019 Analysis Arizona, Texas sending 400 National Guard troops to U.S.-Mexico border after Trump's call Immigrant rights activists promised to protest Sessions' visit on Wednesday, as they rejected his past characterization of the border region during a 2017 visit to El Paso, Texas, as ground zero in the Trump administration's fight against cartels, and human traffickers. react-empty 140 He treated our home like a war zone, referring to it as ground zero,' said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso. Sessions will speak in Las Cruces at the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition Annual Spring Meeting with the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition, which is made up of 31 sheriff's departments from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. He was wrong then, and he is wrong now. Sessions' trip to Las Cruces, a city about an hour north of the border, comes as construction begins nearby on 32 kilometres of steel fencing that officials say is a part of U.S. President Donald Trump's promised wall.U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have described the new, heightened barrier as a structure that will be harder to get over, under and through than the old post and rail barriers that line the stretch of sprawling desert west of the Santa Teresa port of entry. El Paso is some 80 kilometres south of Las Cruces. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

inglis street: It's very small, and as with Chinatowns elsewhere it's not all Chinese -- some of the smattering of businesses specialize in Korean barbecue, Vietnamese pho or Indian groceries, according to CTV. Compared to big-city Chinatowns, it's a blip on the urban landscape. They are the early signs of a fledgling Chinatown. But for a city more accustomed to Irish pubs and fish and chips, this tiny pocket of businesses around where Barrington Street turns sharply into Inglis Street tells the story of a steady flow of newcomers to Halifax from China. What's changing is the number of Chinese immigrants choosing to make it their permanent home. Halifax, a busy port city of about 400,000 and home to several universities, has long had a small Chinese population. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

time samia: I've waited for this moment a long, long, long time, according to CTV. Samia and her family came to Canada four years and nine months ago. I can't find any words to describe this moment, it's my honour, said Rehab Abdel Samia. She and her daughter had been counting how many days it had taken to get to this moment. I feel free to say whatever I want, whenever I want, no one to judge me. I feel so much better as a Canadian now, said Habiba Hamed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

tribunal custody: Because he had already spent nearly 12 years in tribunal custody since surrendering in 2003, Wednesday's sentencing in The Hague, the Netherlands, had no practical impact on him, according to CTV. Seselj told The Associated Press just prior to the reading of the verdict that I don't care about the ruling. Vojislav Seselj, who leads the Serbian Radical Party and is a lawmaker in the Serbian parliament, was acquitted in 2016 of nine war crimes and crimes against humanity charges because of insufficient evidence. Now I'll go and have a siesta. Prosecutors accused him of crimes including persecution, murder and torture and had demanded a 28-year sentence for his support of Serb paramilitaries during the bloody wars in Croatia and Bosnia. Afterward, he told the AP the ruling was illegal, adding that he was proud of all the war crimes and crimes against humanity that were attributed to me, and I am ready to repeat them in the future. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s.-mexico border: This is not acceptable, according to The Chronicle Herald. It cannot continue, he said. Sessions ticked off stories about smugglers being caught with opioids and cocaine at the U.S.-Mexico border and legal loopholes that have encouraged more immigrants to make the journey. No one can defend the way the system is working today. They chanted in Spanish, saying the region is not a war zone, and hoisted signs that protested the proposed border wall and the deployment of National Guard troops to the region. Outside the meeting, dozens of immigrant rights activists protested, once again rejecting Sessions' previous characterization of the border region as ground zero in the Trump administration's fight against cartels and human traffickers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

barrington street: Compared to big-city Chinatowns, it's a blip on the urban landscape, according to National Observer. But for a city more accustomed to Irish pubs and fish and chips, this tiny pocket of businesses around where Barrington Street turns sharply into Inglis Street tells the story of a steady flow of newcomers to Halifax from China. They are the early signs of a fledgling Chinatown. ; It's very small, and as with Chinatowns elsewhere it's not all Chinese some of the smattering of businesses specialize in Korean barbecue, Vietnamese pho or Indian groceries. Halifax, a busy port city of about 400,000 and home to several universities, has long had a small Chinese population. As more stay rather than returning to China or moving west to Toronto or Vancouver a critical mass of Chinese ex-pats is slowly forming, potentially encouraging others to put down roots. What's changing is the number of Chinese immigrants choosing to make it their permanent home. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cuba canuck: It cannot continue, he said, according to Vancouver Courier. No one can defend the way the system is working today. Sessions ticked off stories about smugglers being caught with opioids and cocaine at the U.S.-Mexico border and legal loopholes that have encouraged more immigrants to make the journey.article continues below Trending StoriesVPD officer accused of serious allegation' remains in Cuba Canuck the Crow goes postal with East Van mailman Throwback Thursday Remember the Lenin/Mao furor in Richmond Commercial Drive pub says teens with weapons harassing and threatening patrons This is not acceptable. Outside the meeting, dozens of immigrant rights activists protested, once again rejecting Sessions' previous characterization of the border region as ground zero in the Trump administration's fight against cartels and human traffickers. Sessions was speaking in Las Cruces at the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition annual spring meeting with the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition, which includes 31 sheriff's departments from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. They chanted in Spanish, saying the region is not a war zone, and hoisted signs that protested the proposed border wall and the deployment of National Guard troops to the region. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

fears: She is being held in an immigration detention centre and has said she fears for her life and pleaded not to be expelled to Russia.article continues below Trending StoriesVPD officer accused of serious allegation' remains in Cuba Canuck the Crow goes postal with East Van mailman Commercial Drive pub says teens with weapons harassing and threatening patrons Throwback Thursday Remember the Lenin/Mao furor in Richmond Col, according to Vancouver Courier. Apichai Krobpetch, a police superintendent in Pattaya, where the two were arrested with eight others for working illegally by holding a sex training course, confirmed Wednesday that additional arrest warrants had been issued for soliciting, with a maximum prison term of 10 years, and conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years. The woman, Anastasia Vashukevich, also known as Nastya Rybka, has attracted widespread attention for claiming to have recordings of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a crony of President Vladimir Putin, discussing interference in the U.S. election. The original charge on which all 10 were held was working without a permit, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment. The others will have to appear in court on April 17 to hear the new charges. Three of the 10 have already received a suspended jail sentence of six months and been ordered to leave the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

irish pubs: Compared to big-city Chinatowns, it's a blip on the urban landscape, according to Vancouver Courier. But for a city more accustomed to Irish pubs and fish and chips, this tiny pocket of businesses around where Barrington Street turns sharply into Inglis Street tells the story of a steady flow of newcomers to Halifax from China. They are the early signs of a fledgling Chinatown.article continues below Trending StoriesVPD officer accused of serious allegation' remains in Cuba Canuck the Crow goes postal with East Van mailman Commercial Drive pub says teens with weapons harassing and threatening patrons East Vancouver elementary students rally around Humboldt Broncos It's very small, and as with Chinatowns elsewhere it's not all Chinese some of the smattering of businesses specialize in Korean barbecue, Vietnamese pho or Indian groceries. Halifax, a busy port city of about 400,000 and home to several universities, has long had a small Chinese population. As more stay rather than returning to China or moving west to Toronto or Vancouver a critical mass of Chinese ex-pats is slowly forming, potentially encouraging others to put down roots. What's changing is the number of Chinese immigrants choosing to make it their permanent home. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

james s.a: Premiering its third season on Space this week, the Toronto-shot action thriller is based on the series of novels by James S.A. Corey, the pen name of writing team Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, according to NOW Magazine. We don't have villains, explains showrunner and writer Naren Shankar via Skype, a decision that encourages viewers to empathize with three sides in an interplanetary conflict. With a diverse cast and progressive politics to match, sci-fi series The Expanse is setting the bar for TV in ways that resonate beyond genre fiction. The story is set roughly 300 years in the future, when Earth has colonized both Mars and the resource-rich asteroid belt. Though it might be easy to immediately identify with Earth's cause, it's also just as easy to understand the motivations of the militant Martians, working hard to protect what little they have while they attempt to terraform their planet. The search for a missing girl reveals a conspiracy to pit Earth against its colonies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

assembly act: We will not let go of this issue, said Marie-Claude Rioux, executive director of the Acadian Federation of Nova Scotia, according to The Chronicle Herald. Rioux told the legislature's law amendments committee that the proposed changes were unacceptable and would marginalize the Acadian Community of Nova Scotia. The revised House of Assembly Act would allow so-called non-contiguous'' constituencies ridings that are not connected geographically something the Acadian groups say shouldn't happen. Elaine Thimot, of the Acadian Society of Clare, said Acadians only make up a small percentage of the province's population of just under one million. The proposed legislative changes follow a Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruling released in January 2017 that found a 2012 boundary redrawing that eliminated three Acadian ridings violated the voter rights section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These numbers show we must return to protected ridings, said Thimot. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

child care: In addition to the battle on choice, women were fighting for pay equity, affordable and accessible child care, and gender equality under the constitution, according to Rabble. There was already a network of rape crisis centres and shelters providing services to women and advocating for better laws and more awareness of male violence against women. The 1980s was the height of the women's movement in Canada. Young women had established co-operative daycare centres on campuses across the country and were working to get government support. And there were more women in professional jobs, which provided both a financial base and a certain access to power that we hadn't had during the previous decade, but women were still struggling for equality.I knew some of the women in what became the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, who were active in IWD. Many of them considered themselves socialist feminists. We had the struggles of the '70s under our belts, having learned a lot about organizing and lobbying. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigrant activists: The construction and commitment of at least 1,600 Guard members from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas provoked fresh condemnation from immigrant activists and praise from border-state Republican governors, who will retain command-and-control of their state's Guard during a mission that for now has no firm end date, according to CTV. The only holdout border state was California, led by Democratic Gov. The Trump administration also announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will visit this week a stretch of new border wall breaking ground in New Mexico, putting additional focus on what Trump has called a crisis of migrant crossings and crime. Jerry Brown, who has not announced whether troops from his state's National Guard will participate and has repeatedly clashed with Trump over immigration policy. Tom Keegan, a spokesman for the California National Guard. The state was still reviewing Tuesday whether it will join the effort, said Lt. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

syrian refugees: Belanger said the purpose of the LEAD class is getting students up to speed on where they should be in the Canadian school system, and filling gaps in students' education, according to Toronto Star. Just like any other high school students in Calgary, they're handling cash, and conversing in English, a language not their first, all despite some having huge gaps in their education stemming from displacement back in Syria. According to Carla Belanger, James Fowlers English language learning leader and teacher of the LEAD class, about 90 per cent of the class' 45 students are Syrian refugees who came to Calgary from the refugee influx two years ago. When we first came, the first day it was hard, because everything is new, but now it's better because we learned English, we can speak to the people, said student Murhaf Aolthman, who came to Canada two years ago as a Syrian refugee from a refugee camp in Jordan. They gave us a lot of chances to learn, to have friends, to have a new life, to have freedom, he said. Article Continued Below Canadians are good because they helped us to be confident in Canada, to get to school, to have work, to be the same as Canadians, said Aolthman. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration investigation: Citizens are provided information which causes them to believe they are the subject of an immigration investigation, according to CTV. The threat of arrest and/or deportation is used to convince the person to provide personal and financial information. Individuals receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be an employee of Immigration Canada. In some cases, the caller becomes aggressive in nature in order to convince the individual to comply with their demands. Officers urge the public to never provide personal or financial information to anyone unless you know to whom you are providing it. Police say there are currently a number of different scams and frauds being used by criminals, but the end goal is to defraud you of your money. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

muslim communities: It features a video shared by a nationalist monk on Facebook in January 2016 that provocatively reenacted a controversial rape and murder of a Burmese woman, according to Toronto Star. It took three days for the video to be removed, the organizations say, although it was clearly designed to ignite further tensions between Buddhists and Muslim communities. The presentation, sent to key American leaders who will be questioning Zuckerberg on Tuesday and Wednesday, highlights a number of examples of alleged negligence by Facebook that they say helped propel violence in the Southeast Asian nation. Read more Facebook's Zuckerberg to face public and possibly pivotal congressional hearing Article Continued Below Opinion A day of reckoning for social media Canadian company tied to Facebook data scandal got 100K from Ottawa in 2017Before being removed from Facebook, the video had been viewed more than 120,000 times, according to the presentation. The post was not found to violate the social network's community standards, but it was later removed when Facebook representatives were contacted directly, according to the presentation. Indeed, despite the removal of the original video, the groups found copies of it in at least eight places on Facebook. react-empty 142 In other examples, the groups pointed to a November 2016 post on Facebook that described a respected journalist working for international media as a terrorist and called for him to be killed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

police officers: The army in January made a rare admission that its soldiers had killed 10 Rohingya villagers who were captured and accused of being terrorists during insurgent attacks last year in Inn Din village in northern Rakhine, according to CTV. The military said its soldiers confessed to carrying out the slayings. The military personnel also were permanently expelled from the army, according to a statement released by the army chief on an official Facebook page. The army's statement Tuesday said an investigative group under the military had interrogated 21 military personnel, three police officers, 13 security forces, six civil servants and six Inn Din villagers. For the military personnel under the Military Act 71, four military personnel and three soldiers will be sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour and to be permanently expelled from the army, the statement said. It said the investigation proved that the soldiers violated the law by killing the villagers. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

cent: The latest census data show that Indigenous women in Ontario face a 43 per cent gender pay gap, according to Toronto Star. Racialized women face a 38 per cent gap. It reflects how far women on average need to work into the New Year to earn what men earned by Dec. 31 of the previous year. Immigrant women face a 34 per cent gap. The gap isn't new. On average Ontario women earn 29.3 per cent less than men. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

b.c: But ministers are hightailing it back to Ottawa to try and salvage the pipeline project they green-lighted 17 months ago. ; Kinder Morgan announced late Sunday it was calling a halt to all non-essential spending on the project, giving Ottawa a deadline of May 31 to convince the company and its investors that the pipeline can prevail over the opposition that now threatens to block it, according to National Observer. The fight between B.C. and Alberta escalated Monday as Alberta Premier Rachel Notley promised legislation this week that would, once passed, give Alberta the ability to reduce domestic oil supplies into B.C. Such a move would cause already high gas prices in B.C. to spike, ramping up the pressure from pipeline proponents on the province to back down.B.C. Premier John Horgan, however, heads a minority NDP government that clings to power only with the support of three Green party members under an agreement to fight the pipeline. The House of Commons is in the middle of a two-week break, during which times cabinet rarely meets. So far, he's shown no sign of giving in. Notley said Monday she expects the federal government to follow Alberta's lead and put economic and fiscal pressure on B.C. to back off. The pipeline is within federal jurisdiction, but Horgan is trying to use provincial powers to limit how much oil ultimately destined for export markets overseas can flow through it, effectively killing any reason for expansion. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

party: We don't intend to extend the previous term but instead we will open a new term, according to Vancouver Courier. Thus, significant changes and modifications can be expected. article continues below Trending Stories Near-complete election results show Orban's Fidesz party winning a supermajority of 134 seats in the 199-seat national assembly. We will not continue governing, but a new government will be formed instead, said Orban, who won a third consecutive term and fourth overall in Sunday's parliamentary election. Votes sent by mail from abroad were still being counted and could slightly alter the current result, but the sweeping victory of Orban, Fidesz, and its small ally, the Christian Democratic party, was not in question. Orban is also pursuing his stated goal of turning Hungary into an illiberal state modeled on countries like Russia and Turkey. Critics charge Orban with weakening the democratic system of checks and balances, enriching a new oligarch class of cronies with the help of funds from the European Union and greatly concentrating power. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

easter weekend: He warned Monday that it could lead to overworked border security staff and longer wait times at ports of entry across the country as the busy summer travelling season sets in, according to CTV. The union is raising huge concerns, he said, questioning how officials will cope with a summer influx given the number of asylum seekers already pouring into the country this spring. Jean-Pierre Fortin, national president of Canada's Customs and Immigration Union, says the government's preparations for another wave of irregular migrants this summer consist largely of reallocating of staff from other areas of the country. He pointed to a spike in illegal border crossings over the Easter weekend. The union wants the government to commit to hiring more customs and immigration staff. Approximately 600 people entered Canada illegally through Quebec over the four-day weekend. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

hollywood princess: Meghan A Hollywood Princess which is due out in Britain on Thursday, details how the 36-year-old Suits star ditched her first husband in a way that also cost her a lifelong friend, according to CTV. The biography was authored by Andrew Morton, the British royal writer who penned the blockbuster Diana Her True Story with the late princess's covert assistance. The U.S. actress, who is set to marry her royal beau on May 19, is fiercely protective of Brand Meghan and sidelines people as she moves ahead in life, according to people who know her cited in the book. Diana comparisons Morton also details her fascination with Harry's mother Diana around the time of her death in 1997, watching her funeral in tears and old tapes of her marriage to Prince Charles. She wants to be princess Diana 2.0. Family friends said she was intrigued by Diana not just for her style but for her independent humanitarian mission, seeing her as a role model . Her childhood friend Ninaki Priddy is cited as saying She was always fascinated by the royal family. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

janos halasz: That would allow Fidesz and its small ally, the Christian Democrats, to push through the so-called Stop Soros bills, said Janos Halasz, the party's parliamentary spokesman, according to The Chronicle Herald. Orban alleges that the opposition collaborating with the United Nations, the European Union and wealthy philanthropist George Soros wants to turn Hungary into an immigrant country, flooding it with mostly Muslim migrants and threatening its security and Christian identity. Election officials Monday were still counting mailed ballots, which added another seat to the Fidesz party's super-majority and gave it control over 134 of 199 seats in parliament. Approval of the draft law targeting the advocates for refugees could come as soon as May, the party said. The laws would force the NGOs working with migrants and asylum seekers to get government permits; income received from abroad would be taxed; advocacy groups could be banned from going closer than 8 kilometres 5 miles from Hungary's borders, where asylum-seekers file claims; and foreigners without authorization to help refugees could be banned from Hungary. The new laws could make it hard for groups working with asylum-seekers to continue their activities in Hungary. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

others focus: An editorial from a prominent national paper asks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to yield to Tory measures by tightening the border, according to Toronto Star. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen recently said that he has no qualms about using the term illegal . As MPs Jenny Kwan and Gary Anandasangaree have both argued, word choice is important and the term illegal is harmful. One newspaper speaks of illegal migrants while others focus on illegal border crossers. Irregular is used by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to describe border crossings between ports of entry. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects this right. This is not about people trying to sneak across the border undetected, but about the right to seek asylum from persecution. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

pledge monday: The protests are seen, in part, as an attempt by Hamas to break the blockade, according to Toronto Star. Read more Israelis open deadly fire as Hamas protest continues Article Continued Below Number of Palestinians killed by Israel this week rises to 21 after Gaza airstrike Israel blamed for missile strike on major airbase in Syria that killed 14Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh renewed a pledge Monday that the marches would pave the way for a return of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. react-empty 142 We will return to Palestine, our villages and Jerusalem, Haniyeh said in a fiery speech at one of five protest camps set up along the border. Since late March, 26 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli fire in mass border protests led by Hamas, but also driven by widespread desperation over the territory's decade-old border blockade by Israel and Egypt. He stopped short of threatening a mass breach of the border, though another Hamas leader has done so in recent speeches. It has said some of those at the border tried to damage the fence, planted explosives or hurled firebombs. Israel has accused Hamas of using the protests as a cover for carrying out attacks and bringing infiltrators into Israel. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

protests: The protests are seen, in part, as an attempt by Hamas to break the blockade, according to CTV. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh renewed a pledge Monday that the marches would pave the way for a return of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. Since late March, 26 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli fire in mass border protests led by Hamas, but also driven by widespread desperation over the territory's decade-old border blockade by Israel and Egypt. We will return to Palestine, our villages and Jerusalem, Haniyeh said in a fiery speech at one of five protest camps set up along the border. Israel has accused Hamas of using the protests as a cover for carrying out attacks and bringing infiltrators into Israel. He stopped short of threatening a mass breach of the border, though another Hamas leader has done so in recent speeches. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.