***** Feb. 26, 2003. 05:35 AM
U.S. crackdown drives Muslims toward Canada Refugee claimants jam border posts
MARK BELLIS SPECIAL TO THE STAR
LACOLLE, Que.-After surviving winter's wrath to reach this desolate border post on the way to Montreal from New York state, about 20 refugee claimants huddle inside a large waiting room, waiting to be buzzed in by an immigration official. Most looked terrified earlier this month as they waited for their names to be called. Their concerns were not unfounded.
Refugee claimants have overwhelmed Canadian border posts since December when the American Department of Justice added Pakistan to a list of mostly Muslim nations, and North Korea, as countries whose visitors must undergo special registration....Fearing deportation, more and more refugee claimants - mostly from Pakistan - are seeking shelter in Canada....
In Ontario alone, 871 people applied for asylum in January, nearly double the number in November. Pakistani refugee claimants represented only 5 per cent of claims in November, surging to 49 per cent in January.
In Buffalo, it now takes at least 14 days just to get an appointment at the Canadian border. It used to take a few days.
Once in Canada, refugee claimants can expect their cases to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board, a quasi-judicial tribunal whose members hear evidence during a face-to-face hearing, then render a decision on the refugee claim. Only about 55 per cent of refugee applications are accepted....
Back on American soil, hardship awaits.
Some are arrested by immigration officials for the same reason they seek refuge - not having proper paperwork - and return much poorer after paying bonds that start at $1,500 (U.S.).
A few are simply jailed.
But most head for emergency shelters, hoping for assistance until their hearings....
<http://tinyurl.com/744r> *****
The conditions are getting dire, but this is an extremely difficult fight. Unlike anti-war demonstrations, which have attracted huge numbers of people even in the USA, demonstrations against post-9.11 attacks on rights and liberties in general and those on immigrant rights in particular have been small and infrequent. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://solidarity.igc.org/>