Undocumented immigrants flee to Canada

It’s happening. But not the way people thought it would.

In recent weeks, people began streaming from the United States into Canada. But they’re not disappointed Democrats, disgruntled Californians or, for that matter, anyone who might have voted for Hillary Clinton.

The majority of the estimated 3,800 individuals illegally stealing across the world’s longest unprotected border into Canada since Feb. 3 are anxious refugees and undocumented immigrants fearing detention or deportation and seeking asylum.

According to London’s Daily Mail, most of those slipping across America’s northern border this winter are carrying passports from Syria, Somalia, Burundi, Eritrea, Ghana and Sudan, Turkey, Columbia or Mexico. Many obtain tourist visas to the United States then jump into airport taxis and deliver themselves to Canadian border checkpoints where they asked for asylum. Others, laden with luggage still bearing airline tags, walk across fields, wade through ditches and push baby strollers in deep snow from Quebec to Manitoba to elude Canadian border patrols and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Some have lived in the U.S. for years.

When seeking office, thencandidate Donald Trump promised to deport or incarcerate 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants with criminal records living in the United States. The surge of asylum seekers has grown since now-President Trump issued his ban temporarily barring travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. They are now flowing into Canada in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s offer to “welcome those in need with open arms and open hearts.”

Since Jan. 1, according to the RCMP in Manitoba, located to the north of North Dakota, almost 200 asylum seekers have braved freezing temperatures and sometimes waist-deep snow to cross the border into Emerson, Manitoba — population 689. An estimated 1,200 have illegally entered Quebec since November, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.

Although border patrol union officials are calling for 1,000 more workers and conservatives in Parliament are calling for a refugee strategy and housing and support service resources are being stressed in rural areas where the crossings are happening, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said, the increase isn’t enough to warrant additional border security measures. But, he said, the government is “following closely” the recent accelerated rate of crossings.

Canada adheres to the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement of 2004. In this, any one in the US, which is considered a safe country, cannot request to be admitted into Canada as a refugee. However, refugee status may be requested once the individual is on Canadian soil. Generally 60 percent are accepted.

Border patrols at official border crossings are turning back those who have already made refugee claims in the United States — prompting the increase in illegal entries.

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States may now fear for their future. Canada, which has vast, unpopulated spaces and dwindling family sizes, may be looking to a wave of immigrants to fill their nation. But Canada has also not experienced its own 9/11 attack by irrational militants determined to destroy America.

The Nation to the North is free to open its borders to anyone it wants. But to avoid its own Trump-like backlash somewhere down the road, Canada should heed the warnings of their own government officials who are calling for a strategy to cope with these unexpected visitors, as well as the call of the Canadian border patrol to have more workers.

In recent weeks, people began streaming from the United States into Canada. But they’re not disappointed Democrats.