The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
National Post – Coronavirus Travel Limits Have Not Stopped Asylum-Seekers Walking into Canada at Roxham Road
Around 1,000 people a month have been entering Canada for nearly three years between formal border crossings in order to request refugee status here, crossing over farmers’ fields or well-trod paths to get around the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Tuesday that the asylum seekers are being screened for COVID-19 symptoms, but rather than following the normal protocol of referring them to temporary shelter — most often in Montreal — alternative accommodation is being arranged to account for the voluntary isolation period.
Toronto Star – Migrant Workers Help Grow Our Food. Coronavirus Is Leaving Them in Limbo
On Wednesday, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told the CBC in an interview that workers on visas and temporary foreign workers will be able to enter Canada after all. The news was a relief to many farmers and workers. But by Wednesday evening, both the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association (BCFGA) and the private sector Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.) were reporting that Blair’s statement was actually widely misunderstood.
Toronto Star – Ottawa Halts Refugee Hearings, Deportations in Wake of Coronavirus
Ottawa has halted refugee hearings and deporting migrants in the wake of the global border closing and reduced air traffic as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspension of removals followed an earlier announcement by the Immigration and Refugee Board to cancel and postpone all in-person hearings and mediations starting Tuesday until April 5. They will be rescheduled after normal operations resume. However, all detention reviews of those on immigration hold will proceed as normal.
ICI Mauricie Centre-du-Québec – COVID-19 : plus d’attente pour les nouveaux arrivants
Dans la région de la Mauricie, les impacts de la demande d’Ottawa de fermer ses frontières à tous les étrangers, en excluant les Américains, dans cette crise de la commencent à se faire sentir. Des familles qui devaient arriver au Québec devront attendre dans leur pays. Le Service d’accueil des nouveaux arrivants à Trois-Rivières (SANA), lui, a décidé de ne plus recevoir de nouveaux arrivants dans ses locaux, jusqu’à nouvel ordre. Le directeur général du SANA Trois-Rivières, Ivan Alonso Suaza, estime que la seule chose à faire présentement est de suivre les directives émises par le gouvernement fédéral en matière d’immigration et de santé publique.
Radio-Canada Info – COVID-19 : pas d’isolement obligatoire pour les migrants passant par le chemin Roxham
À ce jour, les migrants en situation irrégulière souhaitant obtenir l’asile au Canada peuvent toujours traverser le chemin Roxham sans être forcés à un isolement. Un dépistage sera néanmoins mis en place. On parle d’environ 60 à 80 personnes qui traversent quotidiennement le chemin Roxham en ce moment, selon une estimation du président du Syndicat des douanes et de l’immigration, Jean-Pierre Fortin.
Global News – Coronavirus: Asylum Seekers Irregularly Crossing to Canada Will Be Screened
Canadian Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair said Tuesday that in an attempt to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, those crossing the border irregularly will still be allowed into Canada, but will be subject to medical screening and housed in quarantine when necessary. Speaking at a press conference, Blair told reporters that those found crossing the border would be immediately taken into custody, and undergo a 24-hour screening process.
