AIDS stay-behinds (Oh, Canada! You Have Been Had Again)

Toronto Sun ^ | 1 September 2006 | Tom Godfrey

[shrinkermd]

A top Eritrean AIDS activist is among some 150 delegates of last month's international AIDS conference in Toronto who stayed behind and filed refugee claims in a bid to remain in Canada, immigration officials confirm.

Amanuel Tesfamichael, 32, had to sprint to a waiting car at Pearson airport to escape Eritrean agents as he arrived for the AIDS 2006 conference.

Most of the claimants have the deadly disease and include a large group of women from hardest-hit South Africa and citizens of El Salvador, Eritrea, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

"It feels good to be free," said Tesfamichael, who has the disease. "I like Canada and the people here."

The activist, who is founder of Eritrea's 6,000-member association for people living with AIDS, was allowed to travel to Canada on the condition he surrender his passport to two government minders, who were also delegates.

Tesfamichael said he was given his passport for processing on landing at Pearson and managed to bolt to a pre-determined meeting with men who spirited him to a waiting car.

"I was only allowed to leave my homeland for 10 days," he said. "The government didn't want me to leave the country."

Many of the claimants are staying at Toronto hostels awaiting hearing dates before an immigration board, officials said.

24,000 PARTICIPANTS

Canadian immigration spokesman Karen Shadd-Evelyn confirmed yesterday that up to 150 claims were received from the 24,000 participants at the Aug. 13-18 conference.

"We can't talk about specific claims," Shadd-Evelyn said. "We cannot release their country of origins or other information."

Francisco Rico-Martinez, of the FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto, said three of the claimants -- Tesfamichael, a man from El Salvador and a woman from Zimbabwe -- were referred to his "gender-friendly" hostel.

"Both of the men have AIDS," Rico-Martinez said yesterday. "They face persecution and discrimination at home."

He said Tesfamichael faces persecution or jail if he returns to Eritrea for violating the 10-day permit.

Rico-Martinez said the claimants are treated in their native countries as outcasts, or have little or no medicine. He said some are discriminated against by doctors, who don't want to treat them.

Joan Anderson, a senior adviser of AIDS 2006, said 14,000 of the delegates were from outside North America.

Melissa Anderson, of the Immigration and Refugee Board, said it'll take about a year before the claimants find out if they're accepted in Canada. About 48% of all claimants are accepted in Canada as refugees.

[shrinkermd]

I thought only the US practiced "catch and release."

[A CA Guy]

Canada is going to pay over 100k a year for these non-citizen's medications and dying process?

[the anti-liberal]

I guess it's either that or go to Calilfornia for the new health plan.

[ECM]

I shouldn't laugh (because I live in the PR of CA) but I am!

[ozzymandus]

If they can welcome our deserters, they can welcome AIDS patients, can't they?

[Peter Libra]

Tragically there are the cases of persons from the African Continent, gaining residency in Canada. About every two months or so, one reads of a man being bought before the courts.

He has charmed various females. He has not told them he has a deadly disease. They are shielded from the unremitting and thoughtless press, by their name being withheld.

"My whole life is ruined", goes the statement. True, the courts are now handing out very hard time. What profit is that? Sad, sad.

[Hildy]

WAIT A SECOND...I can't wait to see the replies to your post by THE RIGHT TO LIFE AT ANY COST group here. This is gonna be good...I'm going to get my popcorn because all the people here who think people should be kept alive no matter how much it costs will come to these people's defense, right?

[Lancey Howard]

I think everybody with AIDS should go to Canada. Everybody.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Open borders and social welfare programs (including socialized medicine) don't mix. Canadian liberals and socialists will either wake up to this fact, and call for the end to phony refugee claims -- or they will see their cherished programs collapse.

[the anti-liberal]

"Open borders and social welfare programs (including socialized medicine) don't mix. Canadian liberals and socialists will either wake up to this fact, and call for the end to phony refugee claims -- or they will see their cherished programs collapse."

Are you sure you're not talkin' about California? Cause it sounds to me like yer talkin' about California...

[Right Wing Assault]

I think Canada will be off the hook. They will probably sneak into the US.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

We might not have as high an "illegal" immigration -- because we have so high a rate of legal immigration. Anyone landing in Canada can make a refugee claim -- the SCOC ruled that these claimants (regardless of where they're from) have all the rights of a citizen to make appeals. More than once, the system became so hopelessly backed up that amnesty was granted.

Here's a couple of snippets from Wikipedia:

"In 2001, 250,640 people immigrated to Canada."

"According to Canada's Immigration Program (October 2004) Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world.[2] The three main official reasons given for this are:

A. The social component – Canada facilitates family reunification.
B. The humanitarian component – Relating to refugees.
C. The economic component – Attracting immigrants who will contribute economically and fill labour market needs. "

[the anti-liberal]

I was unaware of Canada's 'legal immigrant' problem (holdover from the old liberal gov?), thanks for the info.

If you're at all familiar with the insanity that has been California recently (and not-so-recently) than you should recognize how apt your phrase "Open borders and social welfare programs (including socialized medicine) don't mix" is, and how similar the issues are.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Another factoid from Wikipedia:

"Refugees - Immigration of refugees and those in need of protection. This immigrant population has a high unemployment record (51% in 2001) of an already small labour participation rate (44%), resulting in extended financial dependence on government assistance for the vast majority of refugees."

Get that -- only 44% of the adult "refugees" are interested in work -- of that amount only 51% are actually working. IOW nearly 4 out of 5 aren't working.

These numbers shouldn't be surprising -- the "refugees" don't have the skills to qualify as economic immigrants, & they don't have the social network that family class immigrants have.

I don't object to providing refuge to those who really need it. However, most of these "refugees" are just here for economic reasons -- we call them "economic refugees". The only real difference between them and the illegals in California, is that "economic refugees" didn't have to sneak across the border.

[Vinnie]

He said Tesfamichael faces persecution or jail if he returns to Eritrea for violating the 10-day permit.

Eritrea? What did that used to be?

Can't wait until around next March to see if they still like Canada.

Zimbabwe, El Salvador to Canada. Settle them around Timmins, Ont. Eh eh.

[the anti-liberal]

"Get that -- only 44% of the adult "refugees" are interested in work"

What should be interesting is how many of those 44% who are interested in work actually find and keep work?

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

I've been following the situation in California here on FR. If California introduces universal socialized medical care, without first controlling illegal immigration expect a disaster. Your budgets will spiral out of control -- plus even more migrants will arrive looking for free medical care.

You're right -- the situation in Canada is a hold over from the old Lie-beral government. Recently, the number of bogus refugees has dropped significantly, because they're not being allowed to enter from the U.S. any more.

[the anti-liberal]

"Recently, the number of bogus refugees has dropped significantly, because they're not being allowed to enter from the U.S. any more."

Sure would've been nice had they started doing this before the army desertion "take-me-because-I'm-a-conscientious-objector" thing.

You had your elections too late!

[A CA Guy]

Arnold won't sign that.

[A CA Guy]

Wait till the state starts to see a recession and housing slump. Then all their progressive give aways will collapse in on the state.