Posted on 09/19/2003 12:47:08 AM PDT by kattracks
Canada's refugee system, long used by terrorists as a means of gaining access to North America, has once again shown why it poses a major security risk to the continent.
The latest Islamist miscreant to take advantage of this criminally lax system that makes Canada look like one of the biggest sucker nations in the world is Abderraouf Jdey, whose name appeared earlier this month in an FBI alert as a possible terrorist threat. Jdey first came to the attention of
authorities on a videotape found in the home of Osama bin Laden's security chief in Afghanistan, recording a suicide message and promising to die in battle against the infidels. Originally from Tunisia, Jdey came to Canada in 1991 and filed a refugee claim and received Canadian citizenship in 1995.
Unknown to many people, when terrorist crackpots like Jdey arrive in Canada and say the magic word "refugee", then, like Ali Baba before his cave, the door opens wide to a relatively safe hideout and a room full of riches. Besides monthly welfare payments, the terrorist refugee claimant is instantly entitled to free health and dental care, housing and legal representation, thanks to Canadian taxpayers. But most importantly for a terrorist, once that claim has been made, it is almost impossible to have him removed him from the country.
The best proof of this is Mahmoud Mohammed Issa Mohammed, a former Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist and convicted murderer. Mohammed attacked an Israeli airliner at the Athens airport in 1968, killing one person, and only served one year in jail, before he was released in an exchange. He lied his way into Canada in 1988 and filed a refugee claim that was rejected. However, the convicted terrorist is still here 15 years later, having filed more than 30 appeals. Mohammed currently runs a candy store in Ontario and is still appealing his case, which has cost the Canadian taxpayer about $3 million dollars so far. His deportation is postponed until he exhausts all legal avenues, which probably means never.
Mohammed is not an isolated case. Having a criminal record for terrorism, or other offenses, is no obstacle to staying in Canada. The National Post, a Canadian national newspaper, ran an article in 2001, in which it identified 17 al-Qaeda operatives, based in Canada, who had been convicted of terrorist offenses in other countries.
However, the most famous Canadian refugee claimant/terrorist was Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian who was caught in December 1999 crossing the American border in Washington state with a car full of explosives on his way to blow up the Los Angeles airport. Ressam was a rejected refugee claimant who was never deported. After making his claim, he even left Canada to travel to Afghanistan for terrorist training and returning afterwards. Most of the other members of his Montreal al-Qaeda cell were also refugee claimants.
Many claimants also often arrive in Canada without documents, some having deliberately destroyed them shortly before reaching their destination. They are then released into the population without authorities knowing for certain who they really are. Many then never show up for their refugee
hearing and simply disappear off the radar screen.
Like other countries, Canada receives tens of thousands of refugee claims every year. The problem, however, isn't so much with the number of claims that are received, but rather with the number that are approved. While the international average for approvals is about 12 percent, the Canadian average stands at an astounding 60 percent.
And the madness doesn't stop there. Canada even accepts claims from countries that are not considered refugee producers, such as Great Britain, Germany and Denmark. In fact, almost five hundred Americans made refugee claims in Canada last year. But a new agreement between Canada and the United States not to accept refugees from safe third countries should help here, although Canada's approval rating will still remain at about 40 percent.
There are several reasons why Canada's refugee system hasn't been overhauled. One is the vested interests immigration lawyers and refugee services have in maintaining the current system. Examining the Mohammed case alone indicates why the lawyers are all for maintaining the status quo, while the refugee services, which are mostly government funded, often involve high-salaried positions.
But the main reason for this inexcusable mess is Canada's ruling Liberal Party. The Liberals are Canada's party of multiculturalism and regard the ethnic vote as a very important part of their electoral power base. And since fixing the refugee system could be interpreted as anti-immigrant, they also prefer to leave things as they are.
Meanwhile, the insanity continues. Last Sunday, an American-born woman arrived by taxi at the Canadian border in Niagara Falls and, according to a story in The Toronto Sun, asked for refugee status, claiming persecution in the United States. She said she found out about Canada's asylum system from internet web sites that coach would-be refugee claimants to Canada. This incident prompted Conservative Party immigration critic Inky Mark, who wants to scrap the entire system, to sarcastically remark it wouldn't surprise him if refugees could file their claims online.
But while Mark is right about scrapping the system, he really should be careful about giving the Liberals any new ideas.
Stephen Brown is a journalist based in Toronto. He has an M.A. in Russian and Eastern European Studies. Email him at alsolzh@hotmail.com.
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