Asylum and Its Discontents in the United States
This piece is by our intrepid associate, Ruth Dickey, who is well-known for her love of Canada. Given the current mess that is the U.S. asylum system, it’s not surprising that many asylum seekers who first land in the United States have been heading North to make their claims in Canada. Perhaps they are lured … Read more
A convicted sex offender who fled the United States to escape her 30-year prison sentence has been granted protected person status in Canada. In August 2008, Denise Harvey was convicted in a Florida court for having sex with a 16 year-old boy–a friend of her son’s. After refusing a plea deal for 11 years, Ms. … Read more
Do people fleeing persecution have a “right” to illegally enter the United States? A new report from Harvard Law School about changes in Canadian asylum policy got me thinking about this question. The report, Bordering on Failure: Canada-US Border Policy and the Politics of Refugee Exclusion, concludes that recent changes to Canadian refugee and border … Read more
Canada is preparing to implement the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act later this year. The law is ostensibly designed to protect Canada’s refugee law by weeding out false asylum claimants. The provisions of the new law include the following: – The immigration minister would have the power to designate which countries are safe without a … Read more
As Canada implements changes to its asylum program under the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, its refugee judges are required to apply for new positions that will commence in June 2012. The refugee judges are currently political appointees. To qualify for the new positions, applicants must take a multiple choice and written exam, and pass an … Read more
Carl Jung said, “There are no coincidences.” Yesterday, I wrote about American citizens who seek asylum overseas (American Citizens Seek Asylum in Great Britain). Now, we learn that Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are seeking asylum in Canada. It seems that the couple had legal trouble in the U.S., stemming from a property dispute. As a … Read more