EMERSON: Jaime French was jarred out of bed in Emerson, Manitoba early one morning this month by pounding at her front door, just yards from the US border.
A face peered in through the window, flanked in the darkness by others. Outside were 16 asylum seekers, arriving at one of the first houses they saw after crossing a lightly monitored border between Canada and the United States.
“They banged pretty hard, then ‘ring ring ring’ the doorbell,” said French, a mother of two young girls.”It was scary. That really woke me up.”
The town has become the front line of an emerging political crisis that is testing Canada’s will to welcome asylum seekers.
Hundreds of people, mainly from Africa but also the Middle East, are fleeing US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, migrants and refugee agencies say.
Many asylum seekers say Trump’s election and subsequent crackdown on illegal migrants spurred their plans to head north. Those arriving in Emerson come on foot in the dead of night, unnerving its 650 residents.
Some fear the influx of unscreened migrants while others are frustrated by the cost and effort forced on the community.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under increased pressure from the left, which wants him to let more in, and from the right, which is fearful of an increased security risk.
Trudeau must tread carefully to ensure the issue does not complicate relations with Trump.
The cooling welcome in Emerson is a microcosm of growing discontent over Canada’s open door policy for refugees.
Last week, an Angus Reid poll found that while 47 percent of respondents said Canada is taking in the right number of refugees, 41 percent said the number is already too high.
— Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
