In the wake of Donald Trump's ban on refugees from 6 majority Muslim countries, Canada is bracing for an unprecedented surge of Asylum Seekers escaping the possibility of deportation. Some small Canadian border towns have seen a large increase in refugees making the dangerous trek in freezing temperatures across the US border. According to NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, an immigration crisis has been created as a result of President Trump's executive orders. The executive order in question prohibits citizens of seven majority Muslim countries from entering the U.S
The Executive Orders begin
The tiny border town of Emerson Manitoba with a population of about 700, lies north of the Minnesota and North Dakota state line has been bombarded with the arrival of refugees from the US.
The unprecedented influx has overwhelmed the local residents who are often awakening in the wee hours of the morning by asylum seekers. Local services like emergency, RCMP and Border services, which are already limited in these areas, are feeling the strain brought on by the flow of refugees.
The province of Quebec has seen a huge increase in asylum seekers from New York, Vermont, Main and Hampshire with claims for asylum rising sharply from 42 in January of 2015, to over 400 in the past month as reported by The Globe and Mail News. This event has led the city of Montreal to unanimously pass a motion declaring it a sanctuary city. This move allows asylum seekers to gain access to city programs, services and housing without fear of being deported.
Canada: A new hope?
Some Federal Members of Parliament are pressuring the Canadian Government to take action to halt the illegal immigration. Escaping Trump's wrath is still an illegal act since it contravenes the Safe Third Country Agreement of 2002 between the United States and Canada. The agreement states that migrants must seek refugee status in the first country entered which means that the migrants coming to Canada are doing so illegally and should wait for their claim to be processed in the United States first.
However, in light of Donald Trump's immigration ban, migrants are reportedly driven by fear of deportation. Other Federal Members of Parliament are pressuring the Government to immediately suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement
Some, but not all of the Asylum seekers fleeing Trump's wrath are from the seven targeted countries in Trump's executive order, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Those fleeing the United States are taking extraordinary risks in hopes of finding freedom in Canada. To reach Canadian soil, men, women, children and even babies are making the trek on foot for the most part, across a deserted snow covered farmer's fields, forests and wide open prairies in freezing temperatures.
What next for the Asylum seekers?
Canadians are for the most part welcoming to the asylum seekers making the long trek to freedom from Trump's wrath. However, there are those who would be in favour of a Trump style immigration ban and feel that Canada's refugee target for 2017 (40,000) is too high. An Angus Reid poll recently found that 25% of Canadians would like Canada to adopt Trump's executive order banning Syrian refugees.
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