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REFUGEES POSE 'POTENTIAL CRISIS'
The Windsor Star (Ontario, Canada) ^ | Sunday, November 4, 2007 | Doug Schmidt and Dave Battagello

Posted on 11/04/2007 2:46:42 PM PST by sinanju

With city shelters filled and a surge of further refugee claimants expected to flood into Windsor, Mayor Eddie Francis is pleading for financial help from Ottawa.

"When there is a possibility of adding thousands to the local social assistance system as a result of refugee claimants crossing the border into Windsor, we will become overwhelmed and our current resources will not suffice," Francis wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Over the past three weeks, 45 families and 31 individuals -- approximately 200 people -- entered Canada at the Detroit River crossings and applied in Windsor for shelter and social assistance after filing refugee claims with the Canada Border Services Agency. Municipal agencies dealing with the sudden influx of mainly Mexican refugee applicants are renting out hotel rooms and bracing for predicted thousands more to come.

"We don't have the means, ability or capacity to deal with this additional cost. We are not able to deal with this potential crisis locally," Francis wrote Harper.

"I don't believe that Windsor's residents and taxpayers should have to foot the bill for U.S. immigration policy," Francis told The Star. He was referring to the suspected source of the problem -- a recently begun crackdown on illegal immigrants in economically struggling regions of the U.S. South.

(Excerpt) Read more at canada.com ...


TOPICS: Canada; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; canada; immigration; mexico; refugees
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To: sinanju
"I don't believe that Windsor's residents and taxpayers should have to foot the bill for U.S. immigration policy," Francis told The Star. He was referring to the suspected source of the problem -- a recently begun crackdown on illegal immigrants in economically struggling regions of the U.S. South.

Hey, Francis, sit on it and spin. What you mean is that Canada shouldn't have to deal with illegal aliens any more than the U.S. should have to deal with them.
21 posted on 11/04/2007 4:56:32 PM PST by aruanan
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To: Congressman Billybob
Billybob, I usually enjoy your posts but you are way out of line on this one. Yes, you missed a lot.

This is not a "Canadian bureaucrat" talking, he is the mayor, an elected official. To boot, he is the decendant of immigrants from Lebanon. He is very successful and is at home in the "real world".

As for his criticism of US immigration policies, well, don't you agree with him?

22 posted on 11/04/2007 5:11:01 PM PST by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name after Harper's election?)
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To: Westlander

Funny enough, the Ambassador Bridge did have a “walking lane” that was used for years. Too many suicide attempts forced its closure.


23 posted on 11/04/2007 5:12:04 PM PST by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name after Harper's election?)
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To: Right Wing Assault

No, thanks, we have enough “legitimate” refugees.


24 posted on 11/04/2007 5:12:58 PM PST by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name after Harper's election?)
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To: arthurus

Hey, we’ve already woken up. We are about to have an election that will see a majority convervative government. I would like you to be able to make the same boast.


25 posted on 11/04/2007 5:14:15 PM PST by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name after Harper's election?)
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To: Former Proud Canadian
Since he is an elected official, I was wrong to call him a bureaucrat. However, I stand by every other word. His approach to the question of illegal immigration is worse than that of the US.

I refer to it as the Bird-Feeder Problem. If you have too many birds, you don't solve the problem by putting out more food and more feeders. You put out less food and less feeders. None, if you really want to discourage the feathered mendicants.

This Canadian is following policies which encourage Mexicans to some all the way from Florida to go on the Canadian dole. That leads to the conclusion that Canadian laws are even worse than the American ones on illegal immigration. And that's what I said, and stand by.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article, "Ma, They're Makin' Eyes at Me"

Here's my announcement of running for Congress in 2008.

26 posted on 11/04/2007 5:19:59 PM PST by Congressman Billybob (uw)
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To: HiJinx

Show ‘em how liberal you are Canada!


27 posted on 11/04/2007 5:22:51 PM PST by AuntB (" It takes more than walking across the border to be an American." Duncan Hunter)
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To: Former Proud Canadian
As for his criticism of US immigration policies, well, don't you agree with him?

How about Mexico's immigration policies? That's where the problem is coming from and through. Remember, Canada, Mexico and the USA are going to be all one big happy family.

28 posted on 11/04/2007 5:25:43 PM PST by AuntB (" It takes more than walking across the border to be an American." Duncan Hunter)
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To: HiJinx
Say what? Municipal agencies dealing with the sudden influx of mainly Mexican refugee(s)... "We don't have the means, ability or capacity to deal with this...potential crisis..." And they're talking about 200 or so people so far? Well. I'm glad some politician somewhere has finally figured out what a drain his community is facing. Too bad it's a Canadian and not one of ours...say, the Mayors of Los Angeles or Phoenix, or any one of a hundred different US cities, for instance.

Yeah try millions like in CA....and they think 200 is a drain... geez they don't know how fortunate they are....

29 posted on 11/04/2007 6:31:01 PM PST by Niteflyr ("If you’re drawing flak, you know you're over the target".)
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To: Niteflyr
and they think 200 is a drain...

20 million is a drain!

30 posted on 11/04/2007 6:56:31 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: Congressman Billybob

I wish you well in your attempt at becoming a bureaucrat yourself, FRiend.

This is the MAYOR (an ELECTED OFFICIAL, like YOU aspire to be, right?) of a town being inundated with illegals asking for help before his resources are overwhelmed.

He’s being responsible and calling out for aid BEFORE a crisis happens, unlike NOLA.

I honestly thought you were smarter than what you just showed us.


31 posted on 11/04/2007 7:31:20 PM PST by Don W (I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.)
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To: Don W
I do not seek to become a bureaucrat. And shoveling out money and benefits to illegal aliens is no way to solve the problem of illegal aliens. The First Rule of Holes is: When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

John / Billybob

32 posted on 11/04/2007 7:37:24 PM PST by Congressman Billybob (www.ArmorforCongress.com)
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To: Congressman Billybob

That’s the reason he’s asking the upper levels of gov’t for help.

The problem is NOT our immigration standards, but the abuse of the refugee criteria by the coyotes in FLA. sending this detritus up here.

His Worship the Mayor is asking the levels of government that actually HAVE jurisdiction over refugee standards to act quickly to plug this gaping hole.

Don’t forget that in the last 40 years, 35 have been either Liberals or Liberal light. We FINALLY have adults in charge up here (22 months and counting), so try and cut a bit of slack, willya?


33 posted on 11/04/2007 7:53:33 PM PST by Don W (I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.)
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To: ExSES

What an enterprise..., charge them $500-$1,000/head to smuggle them into the USA..., now $300-400/head to ship them to Canada!


I’ll get them to the North Pole for $200 each.


34 posted on 11/04/2007 7:56:43 PM PST by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
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To: sinanju

I fault the CBSA for this mess- Canada and the US have a “safe third country” agreement in place which means that a refugee arriving from a third country can be turned back at the border; the only Mexican “refugees” entitled to a hearing under Canadian law are those arriving directly from Mexico, so they should have been turned back.


35 posted on 11/04/2007 8:00:23 PM PST by Squawk 8888 (Is human activity causing the warming trend on Mars?)
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To: sinanju
One thing I always ask the mush-headed sheeple who ask me why "we" don't do more to help the people in Darfur, Haiti, etc. is why they don't simply invite the refugees into their neighborhoods. That usually shuts them up.

The Haitians are running to Canada simply because the Mayan Indians from Guatemala are now willing to do the landscaping in South Florida for $1 and hour versus the $3 the Haitians were used to getting. ;-)

36 posted on 11/04/2007 8:03:22 PM PST by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: Don W

“The problem is NOT our immigration standards, but the abuse of the refugee criteria by the coyotes in FLA. sending this detritus up here.”
________________________________________________________________

What pricked up my ears is the news that FL is now getting tough with illegals but this particular influx all appears to be the work of one haitian coyote who is fleecing Miami Mexicans out of $400 a head to provide them with Canadian refugee applications, then shipping them out after telling them that canuck streets were paved with gold.


37 posted on 11/04/2007 8:54:48 PM PST by sinanju
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To: Congressman Billybob

I guess the Miami Cubans have never forgiven Mexico for sheltering Fidel when he was an exile...


38 posted on 11/04/2007 8:56:27 PM PST by sinanju
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To: sinanju
Over the past three weeks, 45 families and 31 individuals -- approximately 200 people -- entered Canada at the Detroit River crossings and applied in Windsor for shelter and social assistance after filing refugee claims with the Canada Border Services Agency.

HAHAHAHA. How many thousands cross our border EVERY DAY.......
39 posted on 11/04/2007 8:56:52 PM PST by Kozak (Anti Shahada: There is no god named Allah, and Muhammed is a false prophet)
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To: Congressman Billybob
BB, like I said I have enjoyed your many post and am surprised I find myself arguing with you about anything, however, you have got this wrong, my friend.

Eddie Francis is the mayor of Windsor. He does not set immigration policy. He does not set welfare policy. He knows about your "bird feeder" analogy. He is simply trying to deal with the result of bad policies set by other people at senior levels of government.

40 posted on 11/05/2007 3:31:20 AM PST by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name after Harper's election?)
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