
Migrants Choose Arrest in Canada Over Staying in the U.S - JumpCrisscross
http://www.npr.org/2017/02/17/515662976/migrants-choose-arrest-in-canada-over-staying-in-the-u-s
======
gyrfalc
> The Canadian policeman offers to carry her baby as she makes her way through
> the slippery snow path. She hands the child to him and then takes the hand
> of another officer who helps her to the road on the Canadian side. The
> police bring out a child car seat and place it in their cruiser.

 _Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-
tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!_

We used to be this kind to those seeking safety in our lands. When and why did
we stop?

~~~
hiddencost
We've never been that country.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Act_of_1907](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Act_of_1907)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_America...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Act_of_1924](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Act_of_1924)

Jews in WW2:
[https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007094](https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007094)

If you had HIV: [https://www.immigrationequality.org/get-legal-help/our-
legal...](https://www.immigrationequality.org/get-legal-help/our-legal-
resources/visa-questions/hiv-ban-hiv-based-immigration-applications/)

~~~
muninn_
What's important to note here is that in each case there was a large influx of
people from a different culture who congregated in areas (think Chinatown) and
took time to fully integrate into the current society. It is NORMAL for people
to be apprehensive about new people from different areas who move into an area
and change how things were (how the years liked it). I think it's important to
be mindful of this, and not immediately start with calling those people
racists, or idiots, or whatever, and recognize that a successful immigration
policy must at its foundation be a slow, smooth influx, and not a shock to
they system.

~~~
hiddencost
Sock puppet!

------
maxerickson
This article has somewhat more information:

[http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/chris-selley-as-
tr...](http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/chris-selley-as-trumps-
refugees-stream-into-canada-will-our-immigration-policies-hold-up)

The people crossing are generally claiming asylum in Canada. They make illegal
crossings because they can't cross at a legal crossing and then make an asylum
claim, due to the "Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA)".

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ryanx435
People would rather be in jail in Canada than deported back to their countries
of origin.

If anything, this says sonething about the conditions of their originating
countries

~~~
leereeves
According to the article, they aren't staying in jail for long.

> "Once that we do all our checks and that we can confirm that they're not a
> threat to national security, we hand them over to [the Canadian Border
> Service Agency] who then start the immigration process," Habel says.

Does "immigration process" mean deportation or admission?

~~~
muninn_
Yeah I'd like to know too. If they're deporting them, then why aren't people
upset if/when the US does this as well?

If not, can I just walk across the border, hang out in jail, then become a
Canadian?

~~~
arcticbull
If you've got a legitimate refugee claim have at it.

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CoolGuySteve
This isn't safe or humane, 2 months ago a couple of refugees were severely
frostbitten in Manitoba: [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/refugees-
frostbite-ma...](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/refugees-frostbite-
manitoba-1.3930146)

Edit: Not sure why I'm getting down-voted for showing not all crossings are
safe and quaint like the story from this article. I'm from a border-town in
Canada and there's no way I'd risk my life by crossing by foot.

Next time, try commenting instead.

~~~
leereeves
I didn't downvote, but it's not clear what you're saying isn't safe or humane.

Crossing by foot may not be safe (for those without resources or skill in
wilderness survival), but what's inhumane?

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nolepointer
You have to go back.

