Thursday, August 12,
1999 The U.S. takes a tougher stand with
migrants
Adrienne Tanner and Marina Jimenez
National Post
Unlike Canada, which will not turn away a ship bound for its
shores no matter who is aboard, the United States takes a hard line
with illegal migrants sailing into American waters.
Illegal migrants destined for the U.S. are often halted at sea
and sent home without ever setting foot on American soil, says Russ
Bergeron, media relations director for the Immigration and
Naturalization Service in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Coast Guard intercepts suspicious ships and sends INS
officers aboard to interview passengers. "We make a decision whether
or not they have any credibility," Mr. Bergeron said.
Preliminary reviews are conducted at sea to weed out refugee
claimants and economic immigrants who "can't demonstrate a credible
claim for asylum."
If the vessels being turned away are unseaworthy, the U.S. Coast
Guard takes the passengers to nearby countries like Bermuda or
Mexico. People on ships intercepted in the Pacific Ocean are taken
to Tinian, in the Marianas.
From there, the migrants are sent back to their countries of
origin. "If you land them in the States . . . they get embroiled in
legal procedures that could take years," Mr. Bergeron said.
Canada's Immigration Act dictates a more welcoming approach to
asylum seekers. "Canada has no jurisdiction to turn anyone away,"
said George Varnai, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration
Canada. "Once a person is in Canadian water, he can seek admission
to Canada."
Canadian immigration officials can contact a boat at sea and warn
passengers of the potential consequences of coming to Canada -- that
they could be deported if they are found not to have a credible
refugee claim. But if they remain intent on landing, the government
cannot refuse them, Mr. Varnai said.
The U.S. and Canada are both signatories to the United Nations
Convention on Refugees, which obliges countries to provide asylum to
those who fear persecution on the basis of race, religion, social
group, nationality or political opinion.
Canada allows all refugee claimants a hearing before an
independent board. Only those who pose a threat to the Canadian
public are refused entry to Canada and even they have a right to
legal representation and a deportation hearing.
Only a tiny portion of the undocumented refugee claimants who
arrived in Canada last year came by boat. The vast majority, 4,813,
arrived by plane, said an immigration official.
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