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.
The Guardian – US Border Patrol Violated Agency Rules in Deporting Thousands of Children
US border patrol agents violated agency rules in deporting thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children from 2009 to 2014, according to a federal audit released this week. The US Government Accountability Office audit said that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) repatriated 93% of unaccompanied children under age 14 from Mexico and Canada without documenting how they decided that the children would be safe when they return to their home countries. Jennifer Podkul, a senior program officer for the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission, is one of several people to have questioned how effective the CBP process is in earlier reports. “The part that is illegal is not that they have not been giving them documentation, the part that’s illegal is that they have not been adequately screening them according to the law,” Podkul said. The GAO report was released on Tuesday, the same day that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said it had released about 200 Central Americans in just over a week as it sped up the interview process used to determine whether those people would be in danger if repatriated.
CBC – Refugees to Canada Delayed Last Year as Money Ran Low
The federal government sought to delay the arrival of refugees last year because it was running out of money. A memo was sent to all Canadian diplomatic missions last November asking them to find people who could be held back from arriving in Canada until 2015 because there were too many in the pipeline and the budget for refugee resettlement was running dry. But Syrian refugees were exempted from the plan, according to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act. “We are running into the problem (an enviable one in some ways) of hitting up against the limit of the [resettlement assistance program] budget we can spend this year,” Emina Tudakovic, a senior official at immigration headquarters in Ottawa, wrote to all missions handling refugee cases. “In general, we are looking at rescheduling travel for any [government-assisted refugees] that you possibly can for 2015 … with the exception of Syria cases,” she added. The request went out as the government was coming under fire for its seemingly slow response to the Syrian refugee crisis.
New Canadian Media – Second-Generation Canadians: Where Do We Fit In?
What exactly is Canadian culture? Canada is often described as one of the most diverse nations in the world, but this multiculturalism has come at the price of a distinct national identity. Approximately 250,000 immigrants arrive in Canada each year. Their integration into society is always a high priority, but there is arguably little focus on their children who will be the face of the country one day. After speaking with a number of second-generation immigrants – defined by Stats Canada as individuals who were born in Canada and had at least one parent born outside Canada – it becomes evident that many have trouble pinpointing exactly what it means to be Canadian. […] The social and cultural alienation that many immigrants feel is something that can be expected; while finding their place within a new setting they often face challenges such as language barriers, difficulty finding employment and an overall culture shock. What many tend to overlook is how the children of these immigrants, who as of 2011 Stats Canada reported represent 17.4 per cent of Canada’s population, must cope with the dual identity that is subsequently created.
Toronto Star – Foreign Students Denied Work Permits Over “Distance Learning”
Foreign graduates from Niagara College who have taken many of their courses online are faced with having to leave Canada early because they’ve been deemed ineligible for post-graduate work permits. With online courses becoming an increasingly mainstream part of higher education, their exclusion from the three-year work permit program for new graduates — meant to retain the talents of the best students coming to Canada — raises questions about how well immigration policy is adapting to evolving technologies. The students in the school’s general arts and sciences program had high hopes of earning Canadian work experience after their study visas expired, given that the school is listed on Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s “designated learning institutions list” for the work permit program. But they were told their studies failed to meet the requirements because the bulk of their classes were conducted online and considered “distance learning.” […] Although the Immigration department states on its website that distance learning is ineligible for post-graduation work permits, it does not define what constitutes distance learning. Complaining students said the Niagara College program delivered three-quarters of its course work online, but they had to attend the program in-class at least once a week.
Edmonton Journal – Health Minister Takes up Cause of Paralyzed Temporary Foreign Worker
Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman will call the federal immigration minister to try to keep a temporary foreign worker in Canada so she can get medical help for injuries suffered on her way to work. If a deportation order can somehow be stayed, Hoffman said it may be easier for Vicky Venancio to get diagnostic tests, full physiotherapy and medication to help her better recover after she was hit by a truck while biking to her McDonald’s job in Mill Woods in June 2012. That crash left Venancio paralyzed with limited use of her arms. Because she could no longer work, her temporary work permit expired, as did her Alberta health coverage. Her deportation was ordered in February. “The No. 1 thing she asked me to do, and I’ve committed to, is to make sure we advocate on her behalf to immigration, that the federal minister has the ability to grant compassionate leave,” Hoffman said Thursday after meeting with Venancio and her supporters at the legislature.
Globe and Mail – Foreign Students Say They Were Denied Work Permits Due to Online Courses
International students from Niagara College say they have been unfairly denied work permits after graduation because they took online courses, which Citizenship and Immigration Canada says constitutes “distance learning.” Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer at Green & Spiegel LLP, is representing more than 50 students who are having difficulties with their applications for post-graduate work permits, which would allow them to work in Canada for up to three years. Mr. Jain says 30 of his clients have received rejections so far, and around 25 more are still waiting on a decision, but he suspects they will also be denied. The students are all graduates of Niagara College’s general arts and sciences program. Because the students already have a degree from their home countries – India, for the majority of Mr. Jain’s clients – as well as at least one year of additional education in Canada, they were given transfer credits to finish the two-year program in as little as four months. While international students have received work permits in the past after completing the program, this year they are seeing refusals because some of their coursework was done online, which the ministry says makes them ineligible for the permit because it can be considered “distance learning.”
