Deportations on rise amid migrant influx

Acoustic attack ‘mystery’

TORONTO, Aug 26, (Agencies): Canada has stepped up deportations of migrants this year as a surge of asylum seekers enter the country illegally from the United States.

Canada Border Services Agency said Thursday there have been a total of 5,529 deportations as of Tuesday compared to 7,357 in all of 2016.

The number of deportations to Mexico jumped from 433 last year to 719 this year. Canada under its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waived a visa requirement for Mexicans last December.

Deportations to Haiti have surged to 474 this year from 100 for all of last year. More than 80 percent of the migrants entering Canada in recent weeks are Haitian.

More 4,000 migrants have crossed into Canada illegally in the last three weeks, straining the system to the point where officials turned a domed stadium into a makeshift shelter and the army set up tents at the border.

The Canadian government has warned migrants not to enter the country illegally and declare asylum, noting that many will be turned away because economic reasons are not a reason that will get you asylum.

Many migrants said they left the US fearing deportation due to increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump and believing Canada would automatically give them residence, only to experience a rude awakening upon arrival. Only 52 percent of the Haitians who had their claims resolved last year were granted asylum.

Like in the United States, rules in Canada allow for asylum for people who can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their homeland based on race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a group like the LBGT community. People can also be accepted if Canada fears they face torture or cruel or unusual punishment if they are deported.

Trudeau

Canada not assuming Cuba behind attack:

Canada is not automatically assuming that Cuba was behind an alleged “acoustic attack” against US and Canadian personnel in Havana and has no plans to expel Cuban diplomats, an official said on Friday.

The State Department earlier this month said Americans linked to the US embassy had experienced physical symptoms caused by unspecified “incidents” starting as far back as late 2016. Five Canadians were also affected.

A months-long investigation by Cuba, the United States and Canada into the mysterious affair has yet to come up with answers as to how the attacks took place, let alone who was behind them, according to two sources with knowledge of the events and investigation.

“From the Canadian perspective we would not assume automatically that this was necessarily intentional,” said an official in Ottawa, who said the Cubans had been “incredibly cooperative” with the investigation.

In some cases the victims heard nothing and in others deafening sound, but all suffered symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and some temporary hearing or memory loss.

Wildfire forces 1,100 to flee:

A new wildfire forced 1,100 residents in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia to flee overnight and the blaze was still burning out of control Friday, officials said.

The blaze started about 20 kms (12 miles) east of the Okanagan wine region in the residential community of Joe Rich, near Kelowna.

Stoked by high winds, it caught many off guard, including one woman who told public broadcaster CBC that flames shot up trees around her while she was out jogging on backcountry trails.

“The fire exhibited aggressive behavior,” Justine Hunse of the British Columbia wildfire service told AFP. “It’s still out of control.”

However, she added, “due to a drop in temperature and winds, the fire did not grow significantly overnight.”

British Columbia chief wildfire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said it was likely human-caused.

The area east of Kelowna is heavily forested and the mountainous terrain is steep, making the fire difficult to fight.

The Okanagan Valley is Canada’s second largest wine region, with nearly 4,000 hectares (nearly 10,000 acres) of vineyards planted. There are also several orchards.

A state of emergency has been in effect in parts of British Columbia since July 7.