There has been a surge in the number of Mexicans seeking asylum in Canada this year.
FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2017 file photo, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer informs a migrant couple of the location of a legal border station, shortly before they illegally crossed from Champlain, N.Y., to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, using Roxham Road. In the first nine months of 2022, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada finalized more than 2,700 claims by Mexican asylum seekers.
The vast majority of them are flying in to Montreal, which has many direct flights to and from Mexico. In Canada, claimants must meet the United Nations’ definition of a “convention refugee," meaning they are outside of their home countries and have a well-founded fear that they would be persecuted if they returned based on their race, religion, political opinions, nationality or affiliation with a social group. Otherwise, they must prove that they need protection and can’t safely return to their home countries without risking torture, cruel or unusual punishment, or death.
As for what is causing the increase in applicants, Leiva suggested that social media is playing a role. Further adding to Canada’s allure is that Mexicans haven’t needed a visa to travel to the country since the Canadian government lifted the requirement in late 2016.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mexican asylum seekers set their sights north — on CanadaThere has been a surge in the number of Mexicans seeking asylum in Canada this year.
Read more »
Mexican asylum seekers set their sights north — on CanadaDue to the relative ease of obtaining asylum in Canada compared to the U.S., visa-free travel between Mexico and Canada, and the threat of violence back home, more than 8,000 Mexican nationals have sought refugee status in 2022.
Read more »
Mexicans flee north -- to Canada; Walker-Warnock race in Ga. turns bitter; and more news todayEarly voting has opened in the Georgia runoff for U.S. Senate. Elsewhere, Chinese protested COVID lockdowns. Plus, today's celebrity birthdays and history milestones.
Read more »
Mexicans flee north -- to Canada; Walker-Warnock race in Ga. turns bitter; and more news todayEarly voting has opened in the Georgia runoff for U.S. Senate. Elsewhere, Chinese protested COVID lockdowns. Plus, today's celebrity birthdays and history milestones.
Read more »
Mexican asylum seekers set their sights north — on CanadaPedro Meraz says living in Colima, Mexico, was like living in a war zone, with shootings, burning cars and dismembered bodies being left outside of schools.
Read more »
Mexican asylum seekers set their sights north — on CanadaMONTREAL (AP) — Pedro Meraz says living in Colima, Mexico, was like living in a war zone, with shootings, burning cars and dismembered bodies being left outside of schools. When his wife Rocio Gonzalez, a 28-year-old lawyer who worked with abused women, began receiving death threats from a cartel and the local authorities ignored her pleas for assistance, they knew they had to leave.
Read more »