Canada immigration: Why record asylum seekers are crossing border from U.S
Mar. 20 05:45 am JST 5 Comments
By Anna Mehler Paperny and Ted Hesson
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON
Bookseller Zulema Diaz fled her native Peru after being kidnapped, beaten and robbed, hoping to find safety in the United States. Instead, she said she experienced homelessness and sexual harassment as she worked off-the-books on a hospital cleaning crew.
So when Diaz, 46, heard New York City was distributing free bus tickets, she said she hopped on a bus for Plattsburgh, a town close to the Canadian border, then took a taxi to the irregular crossing at Roxham Road to enter Canada and file an asylum claim.
A sharp increase in asylum seekers entering Canada through unofficial crossings -- including many whose bus fares were paid by New York City and aid agencies -- is intensifying the pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reach an agreement with President Joe Biden to close off the entire land border to most asylum seekers.
https://japantoday.com/category/features/opinions/canada-immigration-why-record-asylum-seekers-are-crossing-border-from-u.s1
