Another impact of Trump's refugee ban

[maccers]

Trump's ban has increased the number of refugees crossing into Canada - they are willing to risk their lives for asylum. I'm proud of how Canada is treating them.

Additionally, the article does not talk about a 'refugee problem' but instead humanizes the people who have refugee status.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/emerson-refugees-manitoba-border-1.3970089

Nearly two dozen refugees who walked across the Canada-U.S. border over the weekend have officials in one border-town community worried about whether they can keep up with the trend that only seems to be growing.

"This is right off the scale for us," said Doug Johnston, a councillor for the rural municipality of Emerson-Franklin in southern Manitoba.

RCMP confirmed 22 people crossed the border in the Emerson area on the weekend from Noyce, Minn., more than Johnston said he has ever seen in such a short timespan. Last week, another 10 refugee claimant files were opened, said Rita Chahal, executive director of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council.

ohnston said snow depth in the many prairie fields around Emerson is between one to two metres deep in most places. With temperatures in the –20 C range on the weekend, Johnston said he is concerned about the influx of refugees and fears at this rate someone is going to die out in the cold.

Two Ghanaian refugees had most of their fingers amputated due to frostbite in December after getting caught in the cold while crossing into Manitoba from North Dakota on foot.

"If they're coming through in the dead of the winter — we were –30 C at one time when that one gentleman came through on Dec. [24] with a northwest wind — when it warms up we're concerned that the volume might spike up," Johnston said.

According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), 410 asylum seekers entered Canada near Emerson in just nine months last year, up from the 340 in the 2015-16 fiscal year and 68 between 2013-14.

Johnston said he, Emerson-Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen and MLA Cliff Graydon all want to meet with the federal and provincial governments as soon as possible to come up with a plan for how to cope with the influx.

Farhan Ahmed and 18 other refugees walked into Manitoba on Saturday, with another three coming in Sunday, RCMP said.

The wave over the weekend stretched thin border staff, who reached out to emergency measures officials in Emerson to help temporarily house the refugees at a local community complex.

The hall is occasionally opened in the event of bad snowstorms for drivers who get stranded, but the scene over the weekend was unlike anything volunteers have had to deal with before.
'Awfully hungry'

Typically when refugees cross near Emerson, about 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg, local fire crews or RCMP pick them up and take them to the Canada Border Services Agency for processing.

Over the weekend, RCMP helped shuttle refugees to the community hall at 8:30 a.m., where they stayed for about 12 hours while two volunteers provided them blankets and warm clothes.

Johnston said Brenda Piett, an emergency co-ordinator with the Rural Municipality of Emerson, described the group as "awfully hungry." They were given bread and Nutella when they arrived, Johnston said.

"Generally we don't supply food for the people that come into town because we're not supposed to … but this is a different case," Johnston said.

The legal groundwork for providing shelter for prospective refugee claimants isn't clear, Johnston said, and people in Emerson don't really know what the limits are on how much they are allowed to help.

"We're not too sure we have the right to be involved with these people," Johnston said.

Under the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., asylum seekers are required to claim refugee status in the "first safe country they arrive in." Officials with the Canada Border Services Agency must turn away any such claimants trying to enter Canada via customs at U.S. land borders.

But because of a loophole in the deal, first signed in 2004, it isn't illegal for such individuals to cross the border on foot outside of official U.S. border crossings.

A growing chorus of voices, including Amnesty International, have called for the deal to be tossed or revised, in part, because of a view that it encourages asylum seekers in the U.S. to endanger their lives crossing into Canada.
'Grateful and happy'

Rita Chahal said she appreciates the concerns of Johnston and others in Emerson, but the increase isn't only adding pressure to border communities.

"This has been our busiest year for refugee claimants, definitely," said Chahal.

The council facilitates refugee settlement services through Welcome House. The Manitoba government has arranged for three housing units for newcomers in Winnipeg, all of which Chahal said are at capacity.

In some recent cases they've had to put up refugees in hotels, and staff have even resorted to letting some refugees stay with them in their homes.

The majority of refugees in recent months have come to Manitoba via Minneapolis, Minn., but were originally from places such as Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti, Chahal said.

"What we notice when they are in our office is that they are just extremely grateful and happy they have a chance at a fair hearing," Chahal said. "To us, that's what is really important; that they are out of harm's way."

The council usually receives enough funding to handle between 50 and 60 newcomers per year, but the need is growing.

"We have to look for additional resources to physically manage that influx," Chahal said, adding the current funding agreement between the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council's and the province expires at the end of March. Private donations are also running low, she said.

Staff with the council plan to meet with politicians and volunteers in Emerson to talk next steps. They hope the conversation soon includes officials at the federal and provincial level, Chahal added.