Posted on 03/30/2006 7:56:18 AM PST by aCDNinUSA
Thousands are sent back to Portugal
BETWEEN 15,000 and 22,000 Portuguese illegal immigrants could be deported from Canada. An unprecedented operation has started to expatriate all the illegal immigrants working in the country.
In February, the Ambassador to the country, João Silveira de Carvalho, received an official communication from the Immigration Ministry saying that all Portuguese working in Canada without a permit would be ordered to return immediately to their country.
The first Portuguese families have been put on aeroplanes and forced to leave. Some of the families had been living in Canada for several years and many had already bought houses there. They were given only a few days’ notice to make preparations, pack their bags, and get rid of possessions they couldn't take on the flight to Lisbon. A large number of the group being deported went to Canada to meet the demands of a booming construction industry, particularly in Toronto. Estimates state that about 75 per cent of the workers are in the country illegally.
"If you have bought a new home or a new condo, you know that the waiting times for getting a place just keep on getting longer and longer," Pedro Barata of the Portuguese National Congress said. "I think that the more we deport people who are needed in the construction industry, the longer those waits are going to be."
Some estimates say that 15,000 people are working illegally in Ontario's construction and hospitality industries, and the Canada-wide figure is 300,000. Immigration sources said there will not be an amnesty. The federal agency said they have a legal duty to remove people who have come to the country without following the proper procedures.
Many in the group deported say they will try to return to Canada and resume the lives they have built. Portuguese Foreign Minister, Diogo Freitas do Amaral, has announced that he will travel to Canada this week for discussions with the Ottawa authorities.
In a statement, Freitas do Amaral said he had decided to travel to Canada to discuss ‘the sudden change in policy by the authorities in relation to Portuguese nationals living and working there without visas’. The Portuguese authorities announced earlier that a reception centre is being set up at Lisbon Airport to give support to nationals arriving from Canada.
Wait and see.... ;) I imagine not much, can't do much when you're floating back across the Atlantic on a frozen ice pack.
Yeah, I knew from the headline that this wasn't about the US.
oh really??? lol
or they can always just hop across the northern border and take advantage of OUR FREE medical care for illegals. The rest of them all do.
Gues where my grandparents are from heh heh.
Madera, but thats not really the Azores is it? I know and associate with a lot Portuguese in my area, ALL good people.
Yes, of course.
Deport all the peace-loving, affectionate, CHRISTIAN Portuguese,
But keep the hateful, veangeful, blood-thirsty, murderous MUSLIMS.
Way to go, Candada.
True.
Errr.... affectionate?
"This is not about racism - it's about being fair to taxpayers and those who are waiting to be legal immigrants themselves."
Exactly. I'm not entirely unsympathetic to these people, but what kind of message do we send to legitimate potential immigrants if we give these people any sort of amnesty or preference for return? "You just wait in line while our creaky immigration system processes your applications. Or, if you can sneak in and stay and work illegally for a few years we'll let you stay." The only real shame is that we haven't been rounding up and kicking out people who overstayed their student or tourist visas all along while the Liberals were in power. We basically implied to these people that they could come here and stay illegally, since we were so lax in enforcement.
I'll just have to leave you guessing.
:)
"I just feel that instead of returning them to their country, efforts could be made with that time and money to intergrate them legally."
Thus rewarding them for coming here and staying illegally, and sending altogether the wrong message to legimate potential immigrants.
"They are a necessary part of the economy now, regardless of their status."
Bull. Someone will pick up the slack. Plus they won't be available to be exploited by employers who know their immigration status, thus reducing the underground economy in the trades, which should reduce the downward pressure for workers in the trades.
Muslims will deported as well. Read here for an explanation on why this will begin happening:
http://www.cbc.ca/nb/story/nb_dadardeported20060327.html
Here is a tidbit:
"An Iranian native convicted of viciously beating a woman in Saint John nine years ago has been deported despite claims he would be tortured or killed in his home country.
Mostafa Dadar was deported Sunday, two days after a Federal Court judge refused to stop his removal".
You have to start somewhere. Seems to me Canada has more problems with illegal immigrants from Jamaica and other Caribbean countries than those that are muslim. If you are illegal - you are breaking the law.
"Spanish-language radio stations carry ads for furniture on credit, with "no social" necessary. Banks, including Banco Popular and now Citibank, have started programs that allow illegal immigrants to buy homes by using an identifier issued by the IRS, known as the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number."
"The most common account for illegal immigrants uses a document issued by the Mexican government, known as the "matricula consular." As of last year, 29 banks in Texas allowed immigrants to open bank accounts with a matricula, a study by the Appleseed Foundation found."
" Even before banks offered mortgages, illegal immigrants found ways to buy homes. Some used programs such as contract-for-deed, in which a lender retains title to the property until it is paid off. Others would find a relative with a valid Social Security number and use their name, said Oscar Gonzalez, a local consultant and Realtor. Both of these strategies involved major risks."
Kick out the hardworking European Christians. Swing the doors wide open for Muslims and lazy third world immigrants.
Way to go Canada.
I agree. If there's truly an immediate need for more skilled workers in this country, or in certain fields, we should have quotas for them. But as you say we mostly only seem to welcome those with post-secondary educations, although when they get here they'll likely find that the pertinent licensing body or professional association won't recognize their qualifications.
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