By MICHAEL PETERSON Argus-Press Staff Writer
Friday, May 8, 2009 10:25 PM EDT
OWOSSO - An Owosso woman says she was recently denied permission to cross the Canadian border because she is on welfare.
Rose Kelley, 25, said she was trying to visit friends and family who live in Canada, but ran into many complications on the way.
She arrived at the Sarnia, Ontario, border May 1 with her children Xander, 5, and Onyx, 1. When she reached the customs and immigration office she was given a list of items she needed to cross the border - some of which included: evidence of citizenship, financial support, financial assistance, confirmed means of departure, and more.
Before leaving home on May 1, Kelley said, she contacted the Canada Border Services Agency, and was told she only needed to bring identification and papers proving she had full custody of her children.
Because of this, she had to travel back to Owosso to get the necessary papers and then return May 3.
“I brought everything. My entire folder had every piece of paperwork that they could ask for,” Kelley said.
However, she was once again denied entry.
“They said I don't make enough money and people on welfare shouldn't take a vacation,” said Kelley, a single mother who has been on assistance for five years. “I was told that I wouldn't be allowed to cross the border until my life ‘drastically changed.'”
She said she was stunned by the events.
“My son was running around saying ‘I want to go to Canada. I want to go to Canada.' But I had to say, ‘Honey, we can't go to Canada. They won't let us,'” Kelley said. “And I just broke down in tears as I was walking out.”
But it wasn't necessarily the fact that she wasn't let into the country that bothered her - it was because she felt the way she was treated was rude and unfair.
Kelley added that the people she was visiting were going to cover her expenses as well as room and board, so she didn't understand why being on welfare mattered.
Because of the incident, Kelley said she filed a discrimination complaint with the agency Tuesday, but has heard no response yet.
Patrizia Giolti, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, said that there are many reasons why a person could be deemed inadmissible to cross the border under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
“Some of the reasons are for security issues. They may have ties to terrorism or organized crime. And financial reasons are another reason,” Giolti said. “A foreign national may be inadmissible for financial reasons if they will be unable to support themselves while they are here in Canada.”
She added that every case, however, is taken on its own merits.
“For privacy issues we do not discuss specific cases,” Giolti said. “I really couldn't speculate what transpired between the traveler and the officer at that time. But each case in unique, and the officer will make a decision based on the information that is presented at that time.”
Marian Kramer, the national chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization - the Detroit-based union of public assistance recipients and low-income workers in the state, said she had never heard of an incident like this.
“And I've been dealing with welfare rights for some 40 years,” she said. “Why should she be discriminated against because she is on public assistance?”
The story of Kelley's rejection has recently made some waves in the Canadian media. The events were reported by the Toronto Sun, and one article stated that “Kelley's plight outraged dozens of Toronto Sun readers who wanted the family to visit Canada after reading about their plight in yesterday's paper. Many readers sent e-mails or called to voice their concerns.”
Also, Kelley said she was called Friday morning by a Toronto radio station, in which she said the DJ's described her as a “celebrity of sorts.” During her time on air, she was asked questions and was even allowed to listen to the callers who gave their opinions.
The new-found attention has been a strange experience, Kelley said.
“I don't like being called ‘welfare mom.' I'm more than that,” Kelly said of the Toronto Sun's headline. “I take care of my kids. When you say ‘welfare,' most people are going to look at it and look down on you. That's just how society is and it's sad.”
- Contact Michael Peterson at 725-5136 extension 223 or mpetersonarguspress@gmail.com. Post comments about this story online at www.argus-press.com.
Rose Kelly sits with her children Xander Hildendorf, 5, left, and Onyx Kelly, 1, in their Owosso apartment. Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepak