Connect with us

News

There’s No Free Ticket” – Canada Warns Nigerian Asylum Seekers Crossing From USA

Published

on

The Canadian government said it’s working with U.S. visa officials in Nigeria to mitigate the surge of migrants coming to the United States seeking a safe haven in neighboring Canada.

There’s a growing number of Nigerian asylum seekers who legally travel to the United States on a visa and stay for a brief time before attempting to cross the border into Canada, according to the Canadian government. In response, three Canadian officials have been stationed to work with U.S. visa officials in the Nigerian city of Lagos to “combat abuse of U.S. travel documents,” the government announced in a press release Monday.

“Coming across the border in a way that seeks to circumvent our procedures is no free ticket to Canada,” Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale said in a statement. “We will continue to ensure an orderly managed border, including the compassionate treatment of those who genuinely need Canada’s protection. And we will continue to work with the United States to deter the misuse of travel documents that has helped drive the influx.”

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen will also travel to the West African nation this month to meet with Nigerian officials about the issue.

“Our government’s priority first and foremost is to ensure that all laws are followed to protect the safety and security of Canadians,” Hussen said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment Wednesday.

More than 25,000 asylum seekers were apprehended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, mostly in Quebec, as they crossed “irregularly” into Canada from the United States between the ports of entry from January 2017 through March of this year. The influx of irregular border-crossers appears to be on the rise, and there’s concern the number will soar as the weather warms up.

The number of asylum seekers apprehended by the national police force in the first three months of this year was more than double the amount in the same period last year. And last year, the number intercepted at the border more than tripled in July and August, according to figures from the Canadian government.

Many of the asylum seekers crossing into Canada last year were Haitians who feared they would lose their temporary protected status (TPS) in the United States, after President Donald Trump’s administration announced it will end the program for Haitian immigrants by July 2019.

So far this year, most of the asylum seekers crossing into Canada by land have been Nigerian citizens, the Canada Border Services Agency confirmed to ABC News.

“Nigerians do not want to settle in the U.S. but in Canada. It is much easier for a citizen of Nigeria to obtain a tourist visa for the U.S. than for Canada,” Stephane Handfield, an immigration lawyer in Montreal, told ABC News in French. “So they get a U.S. tourist visa, stay a few days in the U.S. and cross the Canadian border.”

Handfield said it’s also easier for asylum seekers to obtain refugee status in Canada than in the United States.

Nigerians are fleeing their home country for a number of reasons, such as poverty, persecution and violent conflict, including Boko Haram’s years-long insurgency. The Nigeria-based jihadist group, which seeks to establish an Islamic state, has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced some 2.3 million since 2009, according to the latest figures from the United Nations.

“When people are fleeing persecution, whether they’re in Nigeria or elsewhere, they will take whatever method and route is available to them,” John Cockell, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Canada, told ABC News. “International humanitarian law recognizes this and that’s why asylum seekers are not penalized for entering a country using irregular means, as many choose to do in the case of Canada.”

“We feel [Canadian] authorities have actually done a very good job with managing the increased numbers,” Cockell added.

The Canadian government said it will build new facilities for short-term accommodations at a popular border crossing into the province of Quebec from New York state. Canadian officials will also fast-track work permits for asylum seekers, so they can financially support themselves and their families while they wait to see if their claim for protection is granted.

“While we adhere to international conventions and want to offer asylum to those fleeing persecution and war, the fact remains that there are very specific laws, rules and criteria to be respected in order to find refuge in our country,” Canada’s Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement.

ABC News

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

FG Raises Duty Tour Allowances, Others for Public Officials

Published

on

The Federal Government has approved an upward review of allowances for officers in public service.

Some of the allowances under review include Duty Tour Allowance, transport allowances, uniform allowances, and overtime allowances.

The decision was reached at the 46th meeting of the National Council on Establishment, chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack.

The NCE, which serves as the highest policy-making body for public service matters, is chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and includes the Heads of Service from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The meeting was preceded by a two-day technical session chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office.

Continue Reading

News

Soun of Ogbomoso Urge Subjects Resident In Plateau To Promote Unity, Peace

Published

on

The Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye has tasked the people of Ogbomosoland residing in Plateau State to unite and corporate with the government.of day both at the state and federal so as to move the Nation forward.

Oba Olaoye who gave the charge at grand reception organised to welcome him to Plateau State by the sins and daughters of Ogbomosho land residing in Plateau State advocated for national unity and peace of the nation.

” I urge you all to cooperate with the Government of the day and respect constituted authorities. “

” I implore that we sustain our exemplary good work ethics and strive to uphold the integrity of the land at all times,”

Olaoye urged the sons and daughters of Ogbomoso residing in the state to join hands in supporting his quest to develop the town.

He said, “To achieve this, it’s crucial that the indigenous people embrace their town with love and pride. I believe this is the foundation for meaningful growth.

He said to achieve a great country, Nigerians must commit to patriotism and rededication to the ideals of nation-building.

Speaking further, Oba Olaoye said” I did not know I was going to be King, until God revealed it to me, and that was the reason why I left the United States of America. “

Oba Olaoye emphasized that his aim is to put Ogbomosho in its rightful place and that there is the need for the people in the town to unite with him for the development of the town and that it was God that sent him to rebuild the city and to work for the progress of the city.

“ We are working to ensure that Ogbomosho would be different. In terms of development, Ogbomoso will be different in terms of peace, Ogbomoso will be different. I want you to know it is a new thing in Ogbomosoland.

“We cannot solely rely on the government. While the government will contribute significantly, much of the effort will come from us. It is time for us to unite, roll up our sleeves, and work together to develop our town.”

Speaking earlier the Asiwaju Yoruba of Plateau Chief Olajide Olagbemiro welcomed the Traditional ruler to the state and restated their commitment to peaceful coexistence with their host communities.

Jide said, “The Yourbas are peaceful people who obey constituted authorities .

We would continue to stay peaceful with our host communities, he added.

Our correspondent reports that the Soun of Ogbomosholand also paid a courtesy call on his Royal highness Da Jacob Gyang Buba, the Gbong Gwom Jos.

Continue Reading

Foreign

BREAKING: Namibia Elects First Female President

Published

on

Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party was declared winner Tuesday of last week’s disputed elections, ushering in the southern African country’s first woman president after a disputed vote that the main opposition has already said it does not recognise.

Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took just over 57 percent of ballots followed by the candidate for the main opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) with 25.5 percent, the election authority announced.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, becomes the first woman to rule the mineral-rich southern African country that has been governed by the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) since independence in 1990.

The November 27 election was extended twice as logistical and technical problems, including a shortage of ballot papers, led to long queues.

Some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours.

The IPC has already said this was a deliberate attempt to frustrate voters and it would not accept the results of the elections.

Its presidential candidate Panduleni Itula, 67, said last week there were a “multitude of irregularities”.

No matter the result, “the IPC shall not recognise the outcome of that election”, he said on Saturday, the last day of the extended vote.

Opposition Rejects Poll
Itula said the IPC would “fight… to nullify the elections through the processes that are established within our electoral process”.

An organisation of southern African human rights lawyers serving as election monitors said the delays at the ballot box were intentional and widespread.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) admitted to failures in the organisation of the vote, including a shortage of ballot papers and the overheating of electronic tablets used to register voters.

Of the nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the sparsely populated country, nearly 77 percent had cast ballots in the presidential vote, it said Tuesday.

The election was seen as a key test for SWAPO after other liberation-era movements in the region have lost favour with young voters.

In the past six months, South Africa’s African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority and the Botswana Democratic Party was ousted after almost six decades in power.

Namibia is a major uranium and diamond exporter but analysts say not many of its nearly three million people have benefited from that wealth in terms of improved infrastructure and job opportunities.

Unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds is estimated at 46 percent, according to the latest official figures from 2018, which is almost triple the national average.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, a SWAPO stalwart known by her initials NNN, will be among the few women leaders on the continent.

The conservative daughter of an Anglican pastor, she became vice president in February this year.

Continue Reading

Trending