Refugee/Migrant Crisis

[spaminator]

5 dead as SUV being chased by police crashes in South Texas
Associated Press
More from Associated Press
Published:
June 17, 2018
Updated:
June 17, 2018 9:03 PM EDT
BIG WELLS, Texas — At least five people were killed and several others hurt Sunday as an SUV carrying more than a dozen people during a suspected “smuggling event” crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said.
The SUV carrying 14 people went out of control at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85, ejecting most of the occupants, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said.
“From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect,” Boyd said, adding that “caused the vehicle to turn over several times.”
In this image tweeted by David Caltabiano of KABB/WOAI, a heavily damaged SUV is seen on Texas Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, after crashing while carrying more than a dozen people fleeing from Border Patrol agents, Sunday, June 17, 2018. David Caltabiano / KABB / WOAI via AP
Four victims were dead at the scene, Boyd said. He said at least one and possibly two others died at a hospital.
The Border Patrol said in a statement Sunday night that two other vehicles had been travelling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a “smuggling event,” according to the statement, which did not elaborate.
The border agent stopped one of the vehicles and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested.
The third vehicle kept going when agents encountered it, and a sheriff’s deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border. The Trump administration has said tougher immigration policies — even separating children from their parents — are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally. Over a six-week period ending in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday.
Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be U.S. citizens. The driver was among those hospitalized, and a deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody.
“This, I think, is a perfect example, of why are borders need to be secured,” Boyd said.
Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio, about 90 miles (144.83 kilometres) northeast. Dimmit County is directly north of Webb County and east of Maverick County, which border Mexico.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash,” The Border Patrol said in the statement.
5 dead as SUV being chased by police crashes in South Texas | Toronto Sun

 

[Danbones]

even separating children from their parents

I wonder what dum dums think happens to any felon's children when they get busted, convicted, and go to jail.

 

[spaminator]

Canada, U.S. take in record numbers of refugees as global numbers hit new high
Canadian Press
More from Canadian Press
Published:
June 19, 2018
Updated:
June 19, 2018 7:18 PM EDT
A family, claiming to be from Columbia, is arrested by RCMP officers as they cross the border into Canada from the United States as asylum seekers on April 18, 2018 near Champlain, N.Y. Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA — On a day when newly released data showcased in tangible numbers the stark realities of the growing global refugee crisis, the United States — long considered a haven for the oppressed — doubled down on anti-migrant rhetoric while Canada struck a decidedly cautious tone.
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.
In 2017 alone, more than 16 million people were newly displaced.
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.
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% jump from the year before.
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.
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.”
“And we’re allowing these people into our country? Not with me. We’re taking them out by the thousands,” Trump said.
The Trump administration has come under fire for its so-called zero-tolerance policy, in which asylum seekers who cross illegally into the U.S. are charged with federal crimes and separated from their children. The children are being detained in guarded, fenced enclosures, prompting widespread condemnation and protest.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been called upon to lend his voice to the chorus of condemnation, but so far Trudeau has demurred.
On Monday he would only say he would not “play politics” on the issue, and he did not attend question period in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale largely repeated comments made Monday, in which they said they found the images of children being torn from the arms of their parents and kept in cage-like detention areas “troubling.”
Transport Minister Marc Garneau went a step further, saying the situation involving child migrants in the U.S. is “simply unacceptable.”
But it wasn’t far enough for NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan. She wants Trudeau to “state the obvious – that the United States is no longer a safe country for migrant children.”
“Canadians are calling for action. It is about lives, real lives, real people, real children being subjected to torture,” she said.
“Canada must not be complicit in this inhumane treatment of children. Will the prime minister find the courage and suspend the safe third country agreement?”
Hussen repeated that Canada is monitoring the changes in U.S. immigration policy and what effects it will have on asylum seekers in the United States.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel, who formerly has been critical of the Trudeau government’s approach to irregular border crossers in Canada, seemed to support this more measured approach Tuesday.
“The safe third country agreement when it was negotiated included very strict objective criteria that are constantly monitored by government to ensure that the U.S. remains a safe third country,” she said.
“I think it’s very important for us as a country to make that determination based on that objective criteria rather than political media reports.”
Antonia Rodriguez, a delegate of the UN Refugee Agency and an advocate for child refugees and the rights of children, says the U.S. child migrant policy is “inhumane.”
“Being inside a family and being separated and caged, it’s terrible. It cannot be accepted by the international community and we have to do something,” she said.
She believes Canada should explore the possibility of taking more refugees than it currently accepts.
Global trends indicate that new, more collaborative solutions are needed to ensure countries and communities aren’t left alone to deal with influxes of migrants, said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“We are at a watershed, where success in managing forced displacement globally requires a new and far more comprehensive approach,” he said.
“No one becomes a refugee by choice, but the rest of us can have a choice about how we help.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced late Tuesday it was withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council due to an alleged bias against Israel — this move coming just one day after the human rights chief of the council called the U.S. child migrant policy “unconscionable.”
Canada, U.S. take in record numbers of refugees as global numbers hit new high | Toronto Sun

FUREY: Without separating families, Canada needs to get tough at its border too
Anthony Furey
More from Anthony Furey
Published:
June 19, 2018
Updated:
June 19, 2018 6:24 PM EDT
As the United States descends into a frenzy over the issue of separating families who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally into different detention centres for adults and children, Canadians are doing what they do best in such moments.
We’re weighing in from a position of moral self-righteousness, thinking about how better those darn Americans would be if only they were more like us.
That is, of course, the underlying tone behind a number of news stories and social media conversations. Like this CBC headline: “Canada tracking Trump’s border crackdown to see if U.S. remains safe for asylum seekers.” Or this popular tweet from former Liberal leader Bob Rae: “Canada should take them and reunite the families.”
Here’s the truth, though: The system has become a mess up here as well. And while the U.S. is far from perfect, there are actually things they do down there that we should consider up here.
The “zero tolerance” policy that was recently implemented by the Trump administration has brought about an increase in children being detained in separate facilities from their parents. The opposition has been fierce, but take a close listen to what people are actually saying.
“Despite what this White House claims, separating families is not mandated by law,” Hillary Clinton said in a recent speech. “What’s happened to families at the border right now is a humanitarian crisis.”
Yes, she’s denouncing the separation of families. But she’s not denouncing the basic idea of detaining the families as a whole. Because, of course, she wouldn’t. It’s longstanding policy for the U.S. government to detain people who cross illegally into the country pending their court hearing.
A number of years ago they implemented “catch and release,” which meant that you were caught at the border but then let free until your court date. The reason behind the releases wasn’t because it was their policy objective, but because there were just too many people entering illegally for them to hold.
The big problem is that once “catch and release” started, this made crossing illegally into the U.S. more appealing.
Sound familiar? Canada has its own illegal border crisis, begun in January 2017 following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s #WelcomeToCanada tweet. Last year, there were 20,000 people who entered, mostly via Quebec’s Roxham Rd. We’re on track to exceed that number this year.
Yet, our law enforcement response is incredibly softer than the U.S. response. The RCMP engages in “interceptions” of people crossing illegally. That means nobody is charged and nobody is detained. Instead, they receive government services while awaiting their hearing. Those hearings can take months and people settle down and grow roots while waiting.
The border crisis has caused headaches in Canada. Social services are strained in municipalities such as Toronto. Legal immigrants are angry watching others easily jump the queue. Protesters are getting into clashes with open borders activists. It’s a mess. And we simply can’t let it get anywhere near as bad as in the U.S.
One thing we can do to slow it down is end our version of catch and release, just without the family separation. We can detain people pending their hearing.
Our hearings take months, though. It would be an excessively long time to hold people who haven’t been charged with a criminal offence.
But that isn’t a reason to not do it. It’s a reason to hire more Immigration and Refugee Board judges so we can speed up claims.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is proposing legislation in the U.S. to double the number of immigration judges, build new shelters to keep families together and make sure that cases are heard within 14 days.
These are reasonable ideas. We should consider something like it up here.
afurey@postmedia.com
Twitter: @anthonyfurey
[youtube]ibzrMoImAS0[/youtube]
Without separating families, we need to get tough at our border too | Toronto Sun

 

[spaminator]

FUREY FACTOR: Trudeau must fix the Canadian refugee mess he helped create
Nelson Branco
More from Nelson Branco
Published:
June 28, 2018
Updated:
June 28, 2018 2:11 PM EDT
Welcome to the Furey Factor!
And he’s fast and furious with his view on how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has handled the refugee crisis in Canada.
Especially after the former drama teacher sent out that famous tweet last year: “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength. #Welcome To Canada.”
What started off as just a problem in Quebec now finds 3,305 refugees occupying almost half the spaces in Toronto’s emergency shelter system and their numbers are growing.
Meanwhile, $65 million earmarked by Toronto council over two years to house refugee claimants in hotels is almost exhausted.
Tory warned Trudeau Tuesday the city won’t close community centres to house this overflow of refugee claimants, 57% of them women, 53% children.
WATCH above and see if you agree with Furey.
Tweet and Facebook us your thoughts!
And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
Anthony Furey is a national columnist for Postmedia and can be read multiple times a week in the Sun papers. He’s the host of the SiriusXM Canada morning show, National Post, on every weekday 7am-10amET on SiriusXM Ch. 167.
[youtube]_VC93Wbr7OM[/youtube]
FUREY FACTOR: Trudeau must fix the Canadian refugee mess he helped create | Toronto Sun

 

[spaminator]

MANDEL: Taxpayer bill keeps rising for bogus refugee rapist and killer
Michele Mandel
More from Michele Mandel
Published:
July 3, 2018
Updated:
July 3, 2018 8:19 PM EDT
William Imona-Russel
The $2-million killer has racked up still more in publicly-funded costs paid by taxpayers like you and me.
William Imona-Russel is a horrible man. He landed on our doorstep in 2003 from Nigeria with a bogus passport and a fake name and when caught, immediately claimed refugee status. He worked as a labourer for about six months and then went on taxpayer-funded Ontario disability benefits — for an injury he sustained not here, but in in his native country.
When his refugee claim was rejected, Imona-Russel was ordered deported in 2004.
But he never was.
Instead, while appealing on humanitarian grounds, Imona-Russel went on to twice rape a former girlfriend in 2005 and infect her with HIV. And while out on bail on those charges, he raped and murdered Yasmin Ashareh, a 20-year-old part-time supermarket cashier who had just moved into his Etobicoke rooming house and was saving money for her social work program at Sheridan College.
As her mother would tell the court, the system betrayed her daughter, “a Canadian citizen who on the day she was raped and murdered worked eight hard hours to pay tax to a system that was providing HIV medication and disability pension to her killer, and to a man who never had connection to Canada and who, during the short time he stayed, was busy abusing the generosity of the Canadian citizens and legal residents.”
Asha Ashareh, mother of murdered Yasmin Ashareh, reacts after William Imona-Russel was convicted of killing her daughter. (Toronto Sun files)
He’s never tired of abusing that generosity.
As he prepared for his two trials, Imona-Russel cycled through a succession of provincially-funded lawyers, hiring and firing at least five until Legal Aid finally refused to approve another. He then had the gall to go to court in 2008 to demand the state pay for a lawyer.
Justice Ian Nordheimer turned him down.
Noting “some notorious instances of abuses of the legal aid system” in the past, the judge said Imona-Russel “has on five occasions (arguably six) been given counsel of his choice and he has chosen to squander those opportunities.“
Instead, he was given a “friend of the court” to assist while he represented himself.
Following his first trial, Imona-Russel was convicted in 2009 on two counts of sexual assault, threatening death — putting a power drill to her head — assault causing bodily harm and of attempted aggravated sexual assault, endangering the life of his former lover by having unprotected sex.
Despite being told he couldn’t have a Legal Aid lawyer for his 2010 murder trial, the court appointed two “friends of the court” with expanded responsibilities and then actually approved paying them significantly more than the Legal Aid rate.
During the five-month proceeding, Imona-Russel claimed he’d had consensual, unprotected sex with his new neighbour and killed her in a fit of rage after Ashareh criticized his performance, stabbing her nine times with a pair of scissors — six times in her neck and three times in the side of her body.
He admitted putting her mutilated body in a hockey bag and dumping it out in the hot sun where it was discovered five days later. A pair of scissors was still embedded up to the handle in her lower abdomen.
When questioned by police, Imona-Russel insisted he didn’t know Ashareh at all. At his trial, he changed his story and created a love story even though she’d just moved in two days earlier.
The jury rejected his manslaughter defence and convicted him of first-degree murder. By that point, reports estimated Imona-Russel had already cost the system $2 million.
And counting. Unfortunately, we’re now on the hook for his lifetime — or at least 25 years — of room and board in a Nova Scotia prison.
But there’s still more.
Now 44, Imona-Russel has appealed with the help of the cash-strapped Legal Aid, once again wasting public resources for his faint hope argument that was eight years in the making. Why did it take so long? “He had to choose counsel and then there was an intense pursuit of fresh evidence and it was unsuccessful,” explained his lawyer Christopher Hicks.
In a recent ruling, the appeal court quickly dismissed his bid to overturn the verdict.
There’s no word on how much this monster just cost us. And then of course, the failed refugee claimant will still be entitled to another hearing if he ever gets out on parole.
mmandel@postmedia.com
MANDEL: Taxpayer bill keeps rising for bogus refugee rapist and killer | Toronto Sun

 

[spaminator]

Ford, Tory agree feds must do more in border crossing crisis
Antonella Artuso
More from Antonella Artuso
Published:
July 9, 2018
Updated:
July 9, 2018 8:24 PM EDT
Mayor John Tory (left) met with Premier Doug Ford on Monday. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The Justin Trudeau government’s mishandling of “illegal border crossers” has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, Premier Doug Ford says.
“They created this mess and we’re expecting them to pitch in and help,” Ford said Monday, at his first official meeting with Toronto Mayor John Tory. “The mayor’s in a very tough spot … I know they’ve spent a fortune, as well.”
Once political opponents — Tory and Ford currently hold political offices that the other unsuccessfully sought — the pair discussed the pressure on the city’s shelter system and Toronto’s problem with gun violence.
Tory said they also spoke about transit, housing and jobs.
“I’m absolutely confident that we can work together on all of these issues because it’s in our mutual interest to do so and it’s in the interest of the people,” the mayor said.
The province has joined in with the city in demanding the federal government do something about the strain on Toronto shelters.
About 800 asylum seekers, including 200 children, are housed in college dorms that will no longer be available as shelters after Aug. 9.
“I support the mayor’s expectation that the federal government provide the city the $72 million owed to them, to date, before they need to leave the Humber and Centennial dorms,” Ford said in a statement following the meeting.
His government has blamed Trudeau for the “mess,” and many critics have pointed to a welcoming tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as part of the problem.
The two agreed that the processing period for refugee claims takes too long, and called on the feds to put the resources needed to reduce the timeframe to within 60 days, Ford said.
In his own post-meeting statement, Tory said he has been assured personally by Trudeau that the federal government will step forward to help the city support asylum seekers.
The mayor added he expects help from the province and Ottawa, although he believes the federal government has primary responsibility.
Although they didn’t provide much detail, Ford and Tory also said they would work together on the gun violence that claimed yet another life in Toronto over the weekend.
“The mayor and the premier agreed to work in collaboration; sharing the goal of curbing gang and gun violence in the city,” the Ford statement said.
aartuso@postmedia.com
http://torontosun.com/news/provincial/ford-tory-agree-feds-must-do-more-in-border-crossing-crisis

Feds don't have 'clear plan' on handling asylum seekers: poll
Jenny Yuen
More from Jenny Yuen
Published:
July 9, 2018
Updated:
July 9, 2018 6:00 AM EDT
About 70% of Canadians don’t believe the federal government has a clear plan to deal with thousands of individuals who make asylum claims after crossing illegally into Canada, according to a new DART poll.
A majority — or 57% — also don’t believe the federal government is providing adequate resources for communities to deal with these border crossings. On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford blamed the federal government’s policies for putting a strain on local and provincial government, saying the administration has encouraged people to cross into the country illegally.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Toronto Mayor John Tory at City Hall on Friday July 6, 2018. (Stan Behal/Toronto Sun)
DART CEO John Wright speaks about the big picture of the poll results.
Were the poll’s findings surprising to you?
“There’s nothing that surprised me for the simple reason that since this issue got underway with asylum seekers and refugees, which are a separate issue, I don’t think the public has been fully informed of what the plan is. Premier (Doug) Ford and Mayor (John) Tory raised the issue of funding and it just doesn’t seem to be answered. When 70% of people say they don’t think the government has a plan and when six in 10 say they don’t think they handled it well, I think that’s a pretty true reflection.”
If Trudeau promises to fund 100% of the bills for asylum seekers in Canada, would that boost public trust or transparency?
“As I understand it, now, the government supplies a paltry amount to Ontario, which is about $11 million. We have asylum seekers and refugees occupying university dorm rooms in downtown Toronto, because there’s no places to put them. The last thing Canadians expect is a dump-and-run government … What is probably the most disconcerting over the past couple of days is we’re starting to hear the rhetoric starting to brew. That because Ontario is looking for money, that this is anti-immigrant and potentially racist … It’s disingenous and not true.”
What needs to be done about the asylum seekers, given the poll results?
“The federal government … has to address this, substantively. They can’t address it if it’s some political weapon for re-election or for domestic political consumption. This is a serious political issue that requires resources, funding and cooperation between cities, provinces and the government.”
About 58% of Canadians polled don’t believe the federal government is sending a signal that there are no guarantees asylum-seekers will be able to stay. On top of that, 84% think the federal government is ensuring asylum-seekers are treated humanely. How do those two stats relate?
“We’re not separating children from families, we’re not housing them in bad conditions. It’s nothing inhumane. The real issue in this that the prime minister has tweeted and his government has made it clear to juxtapose themselves against the Trump administration that Canada is open to refugees and to asylum-seekers. That may be true, but there’s no caveat to it. I think to some people, this is simply saying: ‘Come as you are’ without saying there’s a due process and ‘you might be able to stay.’ There has be balanced achieved.”
This poll was conducted June 8 to 13. The poll is accurate to within +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
jyuen@postmedia.com
Polls - DART Insight and Communications
http://torontosun.com/news/provincial/feds-dont-have-clear-plan-on-handling-asylum-seekers-poll

EDITORIAL: Trudeau owns Canada's refugee border mess
Postmedia News
More from Postmedia News
Published:
July 9, 2018
Updated:
July 9, 2018 5:00 AM EDT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answers questions at his cross country town hall meeting at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Feb. 1, 2018. (Ed Kaiser/Postmedia)
After newly-elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford this week suggested Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should pay for the immigration “mess” he’s made, Trudeau as is his habit hopped onto a soap box.
“It didn’t seem to me that the premier was quite as aware of our international obligation to the U.N. Convention on refugees as he might have been,” Trudeau lectured after meeting with Ford. “So I spent a little time explaining how the asylum-seeking system works and how our system is supposed to operate,” he said.
Turns out though Canadians think Trudeau is the one who doesn’t get how our immigration system is supposed to operate.
LILLEY: Canadians think Trudeau has no plan for border troubles
Feds don’t have ‘clear plan’ on handling asylum seekers: poll
A new national poll by Dart Insight found 70% of Canadians don’t believe Trudeau’s government has a clear plan to deal with the flood of refugees, economic and illegal migrants crossing our border and 58% don’t believe Ottawa has handled the situation well.
Earlier this year Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard called Ottawa’s response to his pleas for help with the refugee crisis “a complete ignorance” of what’s going on at the border, and now Doug Ford – who like Couillard is dealing with the reality of a chaotic, ideological federal Liberal border plan that utterly fails to serve refugees or the communities trying to accommodate them.
But that’s hardly a surprise.
Trudeau prefers style and progressive posturing over substance, responsibility and pragmatic responses to real problems.
His embarrassing and condescending penchant to dress up when abroad on diplomatic missions, his disastrous focus on gender-equity during trade talks with the U.S., his empty environmental posturing and reckless deficit addiction all reflect style-over-substance swagger.
His passive-aggressive response to Donald Trump’s travel ban on some Muslim countries was to tweet “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.”
Trudeau’s invitation understandably attracted millions fleeing danger, as well as those simply looking for a better life but wasn’t followed up with adequate funding to help cities cope with the massive costs of caring for legal and illegal migrants, or beefed border security or processing to ensure criminals and terrorists are not hiding among the helpless.
Those seeking refuge are hardly blame. Trudeau, on the other hand, doesn’t get he’s responsible for the mess at our border.
http://torontosun.com/news/national/editorial-trudeau-owns-canadas-refugee-border-mess

 

[Twin_Moose]

I think Eaglesmack is right if Toronto claims to be a sanctuary city they should be on there own dime.

 

[EagleSmack]

I think Eaglesmack is right if Toronto claims to be a sanctuary city they should be on there own dime.

It only makes sense.

 

[spaminator]

Ship that carried hundreds of Tamil migrants to Canada now a floating toxic stew
Canadian Press
More from Canadian Press
Published:
July 11, 2018
Updated:
July 11, 2018 8:44 AM EDT
Members of the RCMP are seen standing on the deck and bridge of the MV Sun Sea as it is escorted into CFB Esquimalt, adjacent to the western limit of Victoria, Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. The MV Sun Sea carried nearly 500 Tamil migrants to Canada eight years ago, but now the rusting cargo ship sits forlornly on the B.C. coast â€" an unwanted vessel of toxins including asbestos, PCBs and mould, documents reveal.Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA — The MV Sun Sea carried nearly 500 Tamil migrants to Canada eight years ago, but now the rusting cargo ship sits forlornly on the B.C. coast — an unwanted vessel of toxins including asbestos, PCBs and mould, documents reveal.
The federal government, which has been stuck with the rickety ship for years, is looking for an “environmentally sound” and cost-effective way of getting rid of it.
The Public Services and Procurement Department recently issued a request for feedback from industry on how to dismantle and dispose of the 38-year-old steel ship with an infamous past.
Organizers of the MV Sun Sea’s 2010 voyage from strife-torn Sri Lanka promised passage in return for $20,000 to $30,000 per person.
Federal authorities intercepted the vessel, which has been moored at a Public Services facility in Delta, B.C., since 2012. No owner of the ship could be identified, and no one wanted to buy it.
The vessel, under control of the Canada Border Services Agency, has cost the government approximately $970,000 in storage and maintenance costs.
The border agency and other federal partners “are working diligently” to figure out how to dispose of the ship, says a March 2018 briefing note obtained through the Access to Information Act.
The request for industry feedback is the first step toward unloading the 52-metre floating lemon. The solicitation documents say the government hopes to ask for bids from disposal companies in August and award a contract the following month, with a project completion date of March.
“The government of Canada has made the determination that the MV Sun Sea must be disposed of in an environmentally sound manner, in a Canadian facility, in accordance with Canadian law,” says an initial outline of the work prepared by the border agency.
Federal officials had no immediate comment on the status of the plans.
A January 2016 examination revealed several hazardous materials on board the MV Sun Sea, including mold throughout the vessel, asbestos, lead-laden paint, PCBs in paint and cabling coating, mercury in gauges and fluorescent lamps, and radioactive substances in smoke detectors and navigation equipment.
The detailed draft work statement says the contractor must remove and dispose of the potentially dangerous materials while following applicable regulations. For instance, all loose and flaky paint must be scraped off, vacuumed and properly discarded.
In addition, there must be an environmental contingency plan to deal with petroleum product leaks in the water or on the ground, seepage of ozone-depleting substances or catastrophes such as a fire or an explosion.
Due to the ship’s condition, the government will not allow a contractor to tow it to a work site beyond the waters of southern British Columbia. In addition, any company hired to do the dismantling will not be permitted to sell it to a broker.
However, the documents suggest a winning bidder might be able to salvage elements including the main engine, generator, pumps, steel, valves, pipes, hatches, portholes and furniture.
The federal government is going about the project the right way from an ethical and environmental standpoint, said Darren Webster, senior project manager for ship recycling with R.J. MacIsaac Construction Ltd.
Ensuring the MV Sun Sea is disposed of in Canada under rigorous controls is “much better than this vessel ending up in Bangladesh or India or somewhere,” he said.
“It’s the only way that it can be done.”
http://torontosun.com/news/national...-migrants-to-canada-now-a-floating-toxic-stew

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Don't forget to bleat "Canadians are the kindest, most generous people in the world!"

 

[spaminator]

Mexican man crossed illegally from Canada into Maine: Officials
Associated Press
More from Associated Press
Published:
July 12, 2018
Updated:
July 12, 2018 11:41 PM EDT
In this March 3, 2017, the Mulholland Point Light in Campobello Island, New Brunswick, stands with Lubec, Maine across the water. Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States with a border crossing to Canada. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
CALAIS, Maine — Border agents have arrested a Mexican national accused of illegally crossing the border from Canada into Maine.
Customs and Border Protection agents say 45-year-old Benigno Godinez-Cortez was detained Tuesday during an investigation into possible illegal activity and admitted he’d illegally crossed the border from Canada.
Court documents indicate Godinez-Cortez said he was waiting to be picked up by his girlfriend, an Australian who was later charged with inducing him to enter the U.S., where she was waiting with a car.
A lawyer for Godinez-Cortez declined comment Thursday night.
The arrest is at least the second in recent weeks of someone in the country illegally. Officials say a Haitian man was arrested last month after border agents shut down Interstate 95 and questioned motorists at a roadblock.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/mexican-man-crossed-illegally-from-canada-into-maine-officials

 

[Twin_Moose]

Ha ha ha Is Trump asking JT to curb illegal immigrants entering the US from Canada?

 

[spaminator]

Man attacked wife with chainsaw in front of kids: Cops
Associated Press
More from Associated Press
Published:
July 13, 2018
Updated:
July 13, 2018 6:47 AM EDT
Alejandro Alvarez. (Whittier Police Department)
WHITTIER, Calif. — Authorities have arrested a man they say attacked his wife with a chainsaw in front of their three children at their Los Angeles-area home.
Authorities on Thursday arrested 32-year-old Alejandro Alvarez in Chula Vista, a few miles from the Mexican border. Police say he was in an SUV that was stolen after Alvarez’s own vehicle crashed after Wednesday’s attack.
Alvarez could face charges of attempted murder, child endangerment, hit-and-run and grand theft auto. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.
Alvarez is suspected of attacking his wife, Gloria Mojica, at their Whittier home, leaving her covered in blood.
KABC-TV reports that the woman was listed in stable condition Thursday and is expected to recover.
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/man-attacked-wife-with-chain-saw-in-front-of-kids-cops

ICE: Man accused of attacking wife with chainsaw was deported 11 times
Associated Press
More from Associated Press
Published:
July 14, 2018
Updated:
July 14, 2018 6:47 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES — Officials say a man accused of attacking his wife with a chainsaw in front of their children at their Los Angeles-area home had been deported from the U.S. 11 times.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lori Haley says 32-year-old Alejandro Alvarez-Villegas is a “serial immigration violator.”
Alvarez-Villegas was arrested on Thursday in a stolen vehicle in Chula Vista, a few miles from the Mexican border.
Police said Alvarez-Villegas is suspected of attacking his wife at their Whittier home, leaving her covered in blood. She is expected to recover.
It was not immediately clear if Alvarez-Villegas had an attorney to comment on the allegations.
Haley says federal immigration officials have lodged a detainer against Alvarez-Villegas, asking local officials to notify them before he is released.
Alvarez-Villegas has been in and out of the U.S. since 2005.
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/ic...king-wife-with-chainsaw-was-deported-11-times

 

[spaminator]

'The situation is going to get worse': Liberals pushed to come up with answers on asylum issue
Postmedia News
More from Postmedia News
Published:
July 15, 2018
Updated:
July 15, 2018 6:40 PM EDT
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship speaks to media following Friday's meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers in Winnipeg.SunMedia
OTTAWA — With tensions over asylum seekers mounting between Ottawa and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s new PC government, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel wants to give provincial immigration ministers another chance to air their grievances — and Lisa MacLeod says she’d happily do so.
As Ford’s community and social services minister, MacLeod is butting heads with the Liberal government over its handling of the asylum-seeker issue, and she was at it again Friday after the main federal, provincial and territorial players gathered for a meeting on the matter in Winnipeg.
She walked out of the meeting after a testy exchange with federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, who later publicly accused Ontario of fear-mongering on asylum seekers. She called his comments “mean-spirited” and demanded an apology.
At Monday’s emergency meeting of the House of Commons immigration committee, opposition members will try to put some political pressure on the government by urging their Liberal counterparts to examine the problem, as well as the pressure it is putting on provinces.
Rempel will introduce a motion calling on the committee to “undertake a study to review the adequacy of the federal government’s response to the impact of increased asylum seekers crossing into Canada from the United States.”
She and NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan are calling on the committee to hold two more meetings this summer in hopes of learning more about what the government intends to do.
The motion calls on Hussen to testify, for the committee to meet at least twice more this summer and that the study be concluded before Aug. 3. Rempel also wants provincial ministers to either testify or provide written submissions to the committee.
MacLeod said she’d happily oblige.
Rempel called for Monday’s meeting after hearing Ontario and Quebec say they’ve run out of room for migrants. The Ontario government said it is facing a “looming crisis” next month if Ottawa doesn’t help find space for refugees and asylum seekers currently sheltered in college dorms.
Ford has demanded the federal government foot the entire bill for the province’s costs. The federal government has so far offered $11 million in help.
“If we’re going to be allocating all of these funds and they’re unbudgeted, then the government should be able to table some sort of plan, and I do feel it’s been very piecemeal and reactive,” said Rempel.
“I don’t think we can wait until the fall because I think the situation is going to get worse.”
Canada’s Safe Third Country agreement with the U.S. stipulates that asylum seekers are required to make their claims in the first “safe” country where they arrive — meaning those who cross into Canada at an official land border crossing are sent back to make their claim in the U.S.
The agreement does not cover “irregular” or “illegal” asylum seekers — those entering Canada at unofficial points, most notably in Quebec.
The number of asylum seekers crossing between legal entry points has steadily decreased. According to new numbers released Friday, the RCMP intercepted 1,263 people at the border in June, which is down from 1,869 in May. In April, the RCMP intercepted 2,560 people at the border.
http://torontosun.com/news/national...ushed-to-come-up-with-answers-on-asylum-issue

 

[EagleSmack]

Ha ha ha Is Trump asking JT to curb illegal immigrants entering the US from Canada?

More like begging and pleading.

 

[spaminator]

Vancouver reporter calls out Nigel Farage for sharing fake sexualized photo
Canadian Press
More from Canadian Press
Published:
July 16, 2018
Updated:
July 16, 2018 6:00 PM EDT
An altered photo tweeted by Nigel Farage, the former leader of the U.K. Independence Party and a member of the European Parliament, along with a version of the original from the CKOM website are shown in this handout combination photo. HO / THE CANADIAN PRESS
A Vancouver radio reporter says people on social media, including a vocal British politician, should be more careful about spreading fake news.
Lasia Kretzel was working for CKOM in Saskatoon in 2015 when she attended a rally supporting Syrian refugees.
She wrote a story about the rally and snapped a photo of a woman with a sign around her neck that read: “My door is open for refugees.”
The same photo is circulating again on social media, but with the sign changed to: “My legs are open for refugees.”
Kretzel says the altered photo was tweeted on the weekend by Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party and a member of the European Parliament.
Kretzel called out Farage on Twitter, saying she had taken the original photo, and he acknowledged the sexualized picture as phoney.
“The photo turns out to be Fake News, but the refugees welcome brigade need to think harder about what is happening,” Farage later said in a tweet that Kretzel saved in a screen grab.
The photo was no longer on Farage’s page on Monday.
Kretzel said she had seen the altered photo on the internet before, but didn’t speak out about it until she noticed someone prominent touting it as real. Farage has 1.2 million followers and his post was retweeted several thousand times.
American actor James Woods also retweeted the altered picture with the caption: “Finally, a real solution to stop immigration.”
Kretzel, now a reporter with Vancouver station CKWX, said it’s frustrating.
“It sucks when you see your own image used in a false way,” said the 29-year-old. “With the amount of time and work that we put into gathering real information and, in an era of fake news … this doesn’t help the discussion.”
She said she doesn’t know the woman in the photo but feels for her.
“I don’t know if she’s aware that her image is being shared, and that honestly makes me feel bad.”

http://torontosun.com/news/world/va...igel-farage-for-sharing-fake-sexualized-photo

 

[spaminator]

Federal government won't pursue deportation of Abdoul Abdi, Ralph Goodale says
Canadian Press
More from Canadian Press
Published:
July 17, 2018
Updated:
July 17, 2018 11:41 PM EDT
Abdoul Abdi's sister Fatouma Abdi, second from left, leaves Federal Court with supporters after a hearing to determine whether deportation proceedings should be halted for the former child refugee, in Halifax on Feb. 15, 2018.Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press
HALIFAX — Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the federal government will not pursue the deportation of former Somali child refugee Abdoul Abdi.
The announcement comes days after a Federal Court judge set aside a decision to refer the case of Abdi to a deportation hearing, saying Ottawa did not take his charter rights into consideration.
In a tweet on Tuesday evening, Goodale says the government “respects the decision filed on July 13 by the Federal Court concerning Abdoul Abdi.”
The Government of Canada respects the decision filed on July 13 by the Federal Court concerning Abdoul Abdi. The Go… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
—
Ralph Goodale (@RalphGoodale) July 17, 2018
The Canada Border Services Agency detained Abdi — who was never granted Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia — after he served about five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault.
Last week, Justice Ann Marie McDonald sent the matter back for “redetermination” by a different delegate of the public safety minister.
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. He was taken into provincial care shortly after arriving in Canada.
He was moved between foster homes 31 times. He lost his native language and developed behavioural problems that advocates say were not adequately treated. Those issues led to problems with the justice system and his non-citizenship put him at risk of deportation.
Abdi’s case has prompted supporters to call on the Nova Scotia government to intervene on his behalf, and sparked protests at events with federal leaders including a town hall earlier this year with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Lower Sackville, N.S.
http://torontosun.com/news/national...deportation-of-abdoul-abdi-ralph-goodale-says

Conservative party pulls attack ad of black man walking over Trudeau tweet
Canadian Press
More from Canadian Press
Published:
July 17, 2018
Updated:
July 17, 2018 7:35 PM EDT
OTTAWA — The Conservative party pulled an attack ad from its Twitter feed Tuesday that depicted a black man carrying a suitcase walking over a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The tweet is rolled out as a carpet entering a broken fence and the words “faith” and “diversity” are visible.
The Conservative party pulled an attack ad from its Twitter feed Tuesday that depicted a black man carrying a suitcase walking over a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The image from that deleted tweet is seen here in an undated screen capture. Twitter / @CPC_HQ via @journo_dale / THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Tories have argued that a Trudeau tweet from January 2017 is partly to blame for the influx of asylum seekers crossing into Canada from the United States.
Conservative party spokesman Cory Hann says the ad was axed because the situation at the border is not about any one group of people.
Hann says the image, which shows an actual person “illegally” crossing over the Canadian border, was originally used by a number of media outlets with stories about the surge in asylum seekers.
The full photo shows the man with a group of people carrying suitcases in Quebec, while the edited image used by the Conservative party singled out one man.
A quote from a story in the Financial Post is superimposed on the image which says, “Trudeau’s holier-than-thou tweet causes migrant crisis — now he needs to fix what he started.”
In an opinion piece published Tuesday, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen accused the Tories of “peddling false information to stoke fear” and called it “ridiculous” that they blame the flow of asylum seekers on Trudeau’s tweet.

http://torontosun.com/news/national...ck-ad-of-black-man-walking-over-trudeau-tweet

DENMARK CRISIS: Cracks down on burkas, extremism
Brad Hunter
More from Brad Hunter
Published:
July 17, 2018
Updated:
July 17, 2018 2:10 PM EDT
Burka-clad women protest the upcoming band of the controversial garment in Denmark. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Denmark has long been known for Lego and liberalism.
No more.
One of the most tolerant nations on earth is about to ban the controversial burka. The garb covers all but the eyes of a woman.
High crime, ghettoization and a lack of integration into Danish life triggered the backlash. The country plans to flatten more than 20 of its most dangerous ghettos by 2030.
A Muslim woman protests in Copenhagen. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
More than half the residents are non-Western, authorities say.
Denmark is taking aim at Muslim immigrants with the introduction of controversial laws intended to protect “Danishness” and torpedoing so-called “parallel societies.”
And beginning in the fall, the Danes are forcing families living in the ghettos to send their kids to school to learn the language — and values. Christmas and Easter will also be taught.
Tourists enjoy the liberal, fun-loving Denmark in Copenhagen. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Parents who refuse could lose their welfare benefits.
Denmark has welcomed has accepted thousands of refugees and immigrants fleeing Islamic countries. And like Germany and others, integrating the newcomers has proven to be a challenge.
The latest wave comprises almost 10% of the country’s tiny 5.7 million population.
According to the Daily Mail, the move appears to have been triggered by the growth of far-right political parties.
Cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark sparked outrage in Pakistan. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
“People with the same problems have clumped together. We have (until now) let it go, perhaps with the naive idea that integration would happen on its own over time … but it hasn’t,” Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
Among the measures:
Banning the burka next month.
Double the penalties for crime in the ghettos.
Increased surveillance to combat extremism
Parents who send their children home could face four years in prison if it’s suspected they’ve been radicalized.
Many of the initiatives would have been unthinkable a decade ago in liberal Denmark. But mass immigration has hardened attitudes.
Even some longtime Muslim immigrants agree with the changes
Taher Mustafah, 59, has lived in Denmark since 1985. He pointed to one veiled woman and shook his head, the Daily Mail reports.
Hardline Minister of Integration Inger Stoejberg has led the charge. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
“She is Tunisian and her husband is an Iraqi. My view is that if you live in a country, you should show respect for the society in which you live,” he said.
“She should not wear the burka here in Denmark and soon she will not be allowed to.”
But Jaber Saleh, 40, is not pleased. Since coming to Denmark in 2001 he has “clung to his roots.”
His son went to an Arabic school that was closed after the government accused staff of terror links.
“The government was wrong,” Jaber said. “It was a good school where Hassan was taught in the Arabic language, not Danish, and he learnt the Qur’an. He speaks Arabic at home and has no Danish friends, and I am pleased about that.”
He added: “I don’t want him to learn from them bad things, the swearing, the low moral code of Denmark. This society is too lax. I will do anything to avoid my son learning the values of Denmark.”
bhunter@postmedia.com
http://torontosun.com/news/world/denmark-crisis-cracks-down-on-burkas-extremism

 

[Twin_Moose]

But Jaber Saleh, 40, is not pleased. Since coming to Denmark in 2001 he has “clung to his roots.”
His son went to an Arabic school that was closed after the government accused staff of terror links.
“The government was wrong,” Jaber said. “It was a good school where Hassan was taught in the Arabic language, not Danish, and he learnt the Qur’an. He speaks Arabic at home and has no Danish friends, and I am pleased about that.”
He added: “I don’t want him to learn from them bad things, the swearing, the low moral code of Denmark. This society is too lax. I will do anything to avoid my son learning the values of Denmark.”

And this is an example of the problem across all Western societies with allowing non assimilating refugees in for citizenship.

 

[pgs]

And this is an example of the problem across all Western societies with allowing non assimilating refugees in for citizenship.

He will do anything but leave Denmark .

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

And this is an example of the problem across all Western societies with allowing non assimilating refugees in for citizenship.

"I feel you, bro."

-- Tatanka Iyotanka