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CANADA FIRST IMMIGRATION REFORM COMMITTEE
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P.O. Box 332, Stn. “B” http://www.canadafirst.net Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 5L3 cfirc@canadafirst.cdmail.biz Tel: (905) 897-7221
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CFIRC BREAKING NEWS – AUGUST 16, 1999 DAY 5 – ILLEGIALS ON BRITISH COLUMBIA’S COAST TAKE OUR IMMIGRATION POLL! GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS! http://www.canadafirst.net/cgi-bin/poll/robpoll.cgi?start GREAT. JUDGE ORDERS STAFF, REPORTERS, SPECTATORS TO WEAR SURGICAL MASKS AT HEARINGS “The judge hearing the case asked all court staff to wear protective masks during the proceedings. Although judge Robert Metzger did not explain his decision, he would not allow members of the public or the media into the court room unless they also had masks.” (CBC Newsworld, Mon Aug 16 1999) LUCKY CANADIANS SPARED FURTHER DETAILS! WONDER IF JUDGE WILL ORDER ALL CANADIANS TO WEAR MASKS, WHEN HE SETS FREE THE ILLEGALS -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Well, 77 of them MAY be heading home. But don’t break out that imported champagne just yet. Immigration lawyer Peter Golden is already screaming that immigration officials are handling the latest batch “improperly”, and that his team of 10 lawyers are “unable to function in the migrants’ best interests”.” n.b. – improve coaching ________
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do we REALLY have to be lied to EVERY step of the way? When the latest batch arrived, a special concern was reserved for the four men who had blundered into the woods looking (so we were told) for a highway. Now, with BC’s resources already strained near breaking point, ANOTHER full-bore search and rescue operation is underway. Hoping to find a FIFTH, and never previously mentioned, man. — Our Pollyanna Complex — If Immigration Canada thinks it’s going to get straight answers about any of the important stuff from these crooks, just consider: the illegals could not have possibly known that the island is uninhabited. Canadian officials certainly asked if everyone was accounted for — but why speak up? He was mentioned ONLY when they realized that their confederate was NOT contentedly sneaking into one of our cities. Oh well, these little misunderstandings are inevitable when Pollyanna meets the Fuk Chin Gang. Unfortunately, that really IS what the major Fukianese triad is called.
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DON’T FORGET QUESTIONING IMMIGRATION IS “RACIST” AND “HATE MONGERING” OUR PROTEST LAST WEEK WAS “EMBARRASSING” “New Democratic Party immigration critic Pat Martin terms ’embarrassing’ protests against the asylum seekers last week as ‘racist, hate-mongering'” http://www.canadafirst.net/news/victoria_protest/index.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Immigration from China skyrocketing Juliet O’Neill Calgary Herald, August 15, 1999 While the federal government wants to deter the kind of dangerous and desperate smuggling of people that has brought two boatloads of Chinese to Canada this month, official Canadian policy brims with enthusiasm for legal immigration from China.
The number of legal immigrants, visitors, temporary workers and students from China has skyrocketed in recent years to the point where a new, bigger Canadian office was designed for Beijing and a second office was opened in Shanghai. The Immigration Department’s quarterly magazine hailed the trend in its first edition with a cover story titled ”Beijing makes it happen.” The positive nature of the policy is a sharp contrast to what New Democratic Party immigration critic Pat Martin terms ”embarrassing” protests against the asylum seekers last week and ”racist, hate-mongering” reaction faxed to his office by an extremist who warned of an invasion of scamsters and criminals from China and decried the boats’ arrival as the worst security threat since the FLQ terrorist crisis in 1970. Martin says he is worried about a ”backlash of hate” in the wake of the boat people’s arrival and wonders what happened to the kind of warm welcome Canada gave 40,000 Vietnamese boat people in the late ’70s. He thinks Canada can open its doors wider to Chinese immigrants and refugees, given that the government fell about 25,000 people short of its legal immigration target last year.
Immigration to Canada from all countries in 1998 was 174,100. He said the Immigration Department cancelled at the last minute one-year work permits for 75 Chinese people hired by garment industry employers in his Winnipeg constituency. He said the department cited a danger the 75 would not want to return to China when their work permits expired. ”Why is that a problem?” Martin asked. ”The jobs are there waiting.” Legal immigrants from China to Canada have more than doubled since 1993 to a record 19,749 last year, the highest number from any country and the lion’s share of them skilled workers.
The steady pace of growth is continuing this year, with 13, 500 immigrants from China landing in the first six months of 1999. The number makes China the No. 1 source of Canadian immigration, shooting well past the former top source, Hong Kong. Applications from China for visas to temporarily visit, work or study in Canada have shot up into the tens of thousands annually. Most applications from business people are approved and about half the student applications are approved. In trumpeting the record numbers of Chinese legally coming to Canada, a Citizenship and Immigration Department publication tells an anecdote about former U.S. president Richard Nixon urging then-premier Chou En-lai in the 1970s to loosen travel restrictions so that Chinese could reunite with their families abroad. ”When do you want the first 10 million?” Zhou is said to have asked. ”While 10 million is a bit of a stretch, (the Canadian office in Beijing) has been literally swamped with applications since 1995, when Canada opened its doors to independent immigrants from China,” said the article published in the fall edition of the quarterly Vis A Vis. It reports China is experiencing an emigration phase in its history and many are choosing Canada because of this country’s good reputation in China. It quotes Susan Gregson, program manager of Canada’s immigration section in Beijing, citing pure economics as the attraction to Canada. ”Someone working for minimum wage in Canada is still making a whole lot more than someone working for minimum wage in China.” Martin said the 75 Chinese whose work visas were cancelled would have had unionized jobs, though their pay would be about $8.75 or $9 hourly.
”These are not sweatshops,” he said. Employers are having difficulty finding Canadians to fill the jobs and are furious the visas were cancelled.
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“Martin says he is worried about a ‘backlash of hate'” THE REAL “BACKLASH OF HATE” IS THE BACKLASH OF HATE AGAINST POLITICIANS WHO ARE SELLING OUT THIS GREAT COUNTRY
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One Chinese still missing on B.C. island Nine men suspected of smuggling migrants into B.C. face Immigration Act charges KIM LUNMAN British Columbia Bureau Monday, August 16, 1999 Victoria — Rescuers were searching last night for a man left behind on a British Columbia island where a shipload of illegal Chinese migrants was dumped by smugglers last week. A search on the uninhabited Kunghit Island was launched yesterday by the navy, Parks Canada and RCMP and will continue today. Authorities returned after interviews with some of the 131 illegal migrants from China’s Fujian province, rescued from the rugged North Pacific island on Wednesday, revealed another migrant was missing. “I can’t speculate why they weren’t forthcoming with this information earlier,” RCMP Constable Tracey Rook said. “We have serious concerns for this individual’s safety. It’s an uninhabited island. There’s no food. There’s no shelter. We have no idea what condition he’ll be in.”
Officials fear the man, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, would not have survived five days on the desolate island at the southernmost tip of the Queen Charlottes. The search was to continue today with police dogs and more RCMP officers, Constable Rook said. By 8 p.m. Pacific time yesterday, the search had not turned up anything. The weather has been cold, foggy and rainy in the area, dropping to 10 degrees overnight. It is believed the missing man had no provisions. The Canadian Coast Guard’s Arrow Coast combed the western and eastern shorelines of Kunghit Island yesterday. Air and land searches were also under way. Rescuers believe the man fled the Gilbert Bay beach where the rest of the passengers were dumped in an attempt to hide from authorities. Four other Chinese migrants were found 24 hours after the other passengers were rescued last week. Those four men, believed to be involved in the smuggling, hid in the forest overnight but surrendered to a rescue team Thursday. None was hurt. At that time, Canadian authorities involved in the search said they believed no other migrants were left behind or had drowned. It was originally reported the migrants were forced to swim ashore by their smugglers but investigators said later they were dumped into shallow water when their vessel pulled into a cove on Kunghit Island. The migrants were rescued after a two-day chase of the smugglers ended with the human cargo being dumped and the crew unsuccessfully attempting to escape to international waters. The Korean vessel was seized by RCMP and its nine crew, all believed to be South Korean, are to appear in court today in Victoria on charges of causing a person to disembark at sea. They could face penalties of up to 10 years in jail and $500,000 fines if convicted. The arrival of the second shipload of smuggled migrants in three weeks has sparked a backlash. Victoria’s local newspaper ran a front-page headline yesterday, “Go home,” and a reader poll showing more than 3,000 people, or 97 per cent of respondents, want the government to deport the migrants immediately.
A source close to investigations into both ships said the Chinese passengers were told by their smugglers they would make lots of money in North America. “They were told that life would be a lot easier for them here, and there would be jobs,” he said of the latest arrivals. “They seem to be happy. They don’t know what they’re getting into.” He said some of the migrants on the second ship have said they paid $30,000 for their passage. He said some of those on the first ship said they were promised jobs that would pay $1,800 (U.S.) a month. None would say where they were destined. The average pay for farmers and factory workers in their native Fujian province is about $6 (Canadian) a day, he said. Police have now confirmed a third ship of 100 more Chinese was also destined for British Columbia. The Japanese navy first spotted the cargo ship earlier this month. The ship, which was expected to arrive in Canada within weeks, was diverted by the U.S. Coast Guard over the weekend to the Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory near Guam. Organized criminals in China are targeting B.C. as a human-smuggling haven, she said. The navy is increasing surveillance of sea routes from China to B.C., Lt.-Cmdr. Gerry Pash said. (Globe and Mail, Monday, August 16, 1999) _____________________________________________________
REMEMBER PROMISES TO DEAL WITH THIS EXPEDITIOUSLY? WOW! THE NEW IMMIGRATION MINISTER HAS PERFECTED THE OLD IMMIGRATION MINISTER’S STANDARD RESPONSE IN RECORD TIME! Caplan to take time dealing tide of illegal migrants By MIKE TRICKEY and JIM BRONSKILL Southam Newspapers OTTAWA – Despite public demands that Canada immediately crack down on illegal migrants entering the country, Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan says there will be no quick-fix approach. “The last time we renewed immigration legislation was in 1976. I’d like to get it right and to ensure that we have enough time for people to have their say.” Appointed minister only a couple of weeks ago, Caplan said Monday she wanted time to review the January white paper on immigration and to be adequately briefed. “There’s no time frame,” she said.
“I think it’s important that as a new minister that I be given time to review the legislative process and proposals. However, both the citizenship and immigration legislation renewal is a priority for the government so I don’t want to send out any message that it is not on the front burner. It is.” Caplan said she did not find anything surprising in media reports that Chinese officials had told high-level Canadian officials that Canada’s refugee policies were helping to fuel illegal migration from that country. “These are the sorts of things that are ongoing between diplomats. It’s going to require international action and international co-operation. Canadian officials have been talking to officials from countries around the world.” She said the recent arrival of Chinese migrants should be kept in perspective.
“We anticipate and expect that about 25,000 people will present themselves at our borders this year, whether they come by boat, by plane, by train, by bus, by car or on foot, and ask for protection as a refugee. “These last two boats represent some 300 people out of the 25,000 we know and expect to present themselves.” Caplan said about half of those who applied last year were granted refugee status and that another 6,000 with invalid papers were deterred before arriving here. However, Jim Fisher, the national Criminal Intelligence Service’s co-ordinator for Asian organized crime, says tougher laws are needed to help combat the human smugglers. “Looking at what motivates the criminals, I think we need to consider changes.” He noted Canada has proposed some moves, including tougher penalties for smugglers and the increased ability to seize assets of criminals. Asian organized crime is well-informed about legal and police practices in Canada, and therefore know what to expect when they smuggle illegals, he said. “They’re making their money where the traffic allows.” Canada’s lengthy coastline, large Chinese population, accessible social-support system and relatively high rate of refugee acceptance make the country a target for ships, he added. “Even if your goal is to settle in New York, all of those factors can make it more attractive to land in Canada.
“From an investigator’s point of view, we’ve got to co-operate more with our overseas partners to try and find an answer to some of these groups,” said Fisher. “These guys are not one-trick ponies. If you’re smuggling aliens this time, next time it’ll be something else. That’s one of the hallmarks of Asian crime.” Another key problem is the fact that the criminals who control the criminal organizations are overseas. “The people that we really need to be dealing with are the kingpins that are setting these syndicates up, and a great deal of those aren’t even in Canadian territory.” Caplan said the government is looking at increased penalties for smuggling, at changing the detention laws and improvements in enforcement. However, she insisted Canada is still among the world leaders in fighting illegal migration. “I think the fact that we knew this boat was out there, that we had excellent surveillance, excellent intelligence, the fact that we were able to apprehend the boat and arrested the crew and charged them, says that the work we’ve been doing internationally is bearing fruit.” ________
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ARE WE TRYING TO SAY “WEAPONS” — AGAIN? ________
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“from the behaviour that they have exhibited … they’ve been assessed as a safety and security risk.” Vancouver Sun Monday 16 August 1999 “Over the weekend, the RCMP and immigration officials also continued the difficult task of separating the victims from the victimizers. The nine Korean crew members who tried to escape Canadian waters have been in police custody since Wednesday — and will appear in court this afternoon to face charges of human smuggling that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a $500,000 fine. But police now suspect the Koreans weren’t the only ones involved in organizing the trip. RCMP Constable Tracey Rook said police, through interviews and other means, have identified 18 men and four women among the migrants they suspect are either organizers or enforcers of the smuggling operation. All but one of those suspects have been segregated within the makeshift immigration detention facility at a gymnasium on the naval base in Esquimalt. The remaining adult male has been sent to a detention facility at the Western Communities RCMP detachment just outside Victoria because he poses a safety risk, Rook said.
Three more migrants, not believed to be in the group of organizers and enforcers, have also been sent to the detention facility. Rook refused to elaborate on why the four were removed from the group except to say “from the behaviour that they have exhibited … they’ve been assessed as a safety and security risk.” Immigration department regional director Jim Redmond said Saturday the enforcers “are along to make sure that the best interests of the organizers are taken care of …. They are a controlling force, they’re a disciplinary force, and they collect the money and make the connections with the organized group, whether it be in Canada or China.” Redmond said some of the migrants are tattooed — an identifying mark of an enforcer. … … this ship carried a more diverse mix: 13 juvenile females, 36 juvenile males, 36 adult females and 41 adult males. The youngest is eight years old. … While the cost to taxpayers of the latest ship that arrived on B.C.’s shores has not yet been determined, Rook said at least 100 RCMP officers have been involved in the operation so far. That includes 38 members from the RCMP’s immigration and passport section, 50 officers working in revolving 12-hour shifts providing site security to the Esquimalt detention facility, the crew of the RCMP boats used to intercept the migrant ship and five heavily armed emergency response teams, one of which boarded the migrant ship after it returned to Canadian waters.” ___________
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National Post Monday, August 16, 1999 China warned Canada about alien smuggling Leaked document: Beijing blamed ‘weakness’ of Ottawa’s refugee screening Diane Francis National Post Chinese officials warned Canada in June that smuggling of illegal aliens to Canada would increase because of our refugee policies, according to an internal Immigration Department report leaked to the National Post. ”The weakness and arbitrariness of refugee determination systems in foreign countries was a reason cited throughout this visit by officials from every department [in China] as being a major pull factor for illegal migration,” the report warned. ”The message was clear in several meetings: You expect us to try to hold the lid on the boiling pot of illegal migrants, while your refugee, welfare and legal systems continue to put more kindling on the fire.” Several high-level meetings were held between three Canadian diplomats and officials in China’s Fujian province, where most of the smuggling takes place. Its population is roughly the size of Canada’s — 33 million — and there are 3,300 kilometres of shoreline. ”Li [Qing Zhou, the Fujian vice-governor], assured us that the Fujianese are trying very hard to contain illegal migration, and have halted 10,000 would-be illegal migrants since 1989 and caught 300 persons involved in organizing smuggling in 1998 alone,” the report notes. The migrants are said to be mostly uneducated people from rural areas who are told they can get rich in America. They are not refugees as defined by the United Nations, the vice-governor said. ”Li stated forthrightly that persons from the above mentioned communities [in Fujian province] who claimed refugee status based on political reasons were not being truthful. He stated that persons with their level of education would not be comfortable with, nor would they likely be involved in, the political process in Fujian. He stated that any number of reasons may be given to the smugglees by their snakeheads [Chinese gang smugglers], but the reasons [and stories] were paper-thin. ”Li stated that regardless of the reason cited, the vast majority of persons are leaving Fujian in search of economic benefit. Regardless of the fact that the economy in Fujian is developing rapidly, it is still possible to make multiples of one’s current wages in China by doing unskilled labour jobs [abroad]. Li stated that smugglers were very conversant with the refugee-determination systems of many countries, and assure their clients that they may often work legally even before their refugee determination is complete.
They also understand that even should their refugee application fail, there is still a strong possibility that they may eventually become residents of the host nation and eventually bring the entire family legally and almost free abroad. It is common knowledge that smugglers are guaranteeing success and are sending persons a number of times and through different routings if they are caught initially. Li stated that he had heard of persons being caught up to seven times in attempts to exit China illegally. Li and others who met with the Canadian contingent said they were under pressure from Beijing to stem the flow of illegals and, as a result, they were upset with the Canadian policies and upset with the exploitation of innocent Chinese who do not realize that they will not improve their lives this way. ”Ominously, the PSB [Public Security Bureau] stated that unless efforts were made to organize a plan to reduce Canada’s attractiveness to Fujianese, we may see a rapid increase in the movement of Fujianese destined to Canada. In support of this statement, the Fujianese cited the American example of Guam: In 1998, about 100 persons went by boat to Guam and were not sent back, and the estimate to date in 1999 is that 700 persons have taken this routing,” the report reads. When told that a steady rise was experienced in Canada over the past few years, the PSB responded that this is likely because of the liberal image of Canada’s refugee-determination system.
Chinese officials told the Canadians that the majority of the 2,000 Chinese refugees who arrived last year alone in Canada were from Fujian province, mostly from a county called Changle. ”It was acknowledged that wanted criminals may seek to illegally depart China to evade prosecution,” concluded the report. ”[Canadian consul-general in Guangjong, Paul] Lau, raised the concern that together with smuggling comes an increase in crime,” the report said. ”It was noted that this rise is likely tied to smuggling and the very real possibility that people are driven into crime by the snakeheads or out of desperation in an attempt to pay back their crushing debt to their alien smuggler was discussed. The PSB noted that smugglers were often, if not always, members of criminal organizations and were making massive profits. These profits are not generally limited to the original price for the smuggling itself. As an example, if the venture is priced at $40,000 (US), often only a small fraction ($1,000 to $2,000) was paid in advance. The rest of the money would be ‘loaned’ to the smugglees by the snakeheads and would bear onerous interest rates in the neighbourhood of 30%. The smugglee would then be forced to come up with the balance by a form of indentured servitude to the smugglers, and work off their debt in extremely low paying jobs with harsh conditions. The most common are likely in restaurants or manual labour for men, piecework garment manufacture or prostitution for women. Crime may well be resorted to out of fear of falling behind in payments as, according to one PSB officer, the snakeheads can reach the families in Fujian ‘whenever they want.’ ” _____________________________________________________
National Post Monday, August 16, 1999 Illegals used as cheap labour Thousands of migrants en route to New York settle in Toronto’s Chinatown Adrienne Tanner National Post TORONTO – While many fortune-seekers from China’s Fujian province use Canada as a pipeline to New York, thousands have settled in Toronto, where they live and work in the bustle of downtown Chinatown. Toronto’s Fukinese community numbers between 4,000 and 8,000, Peter Yeun, a detective with the Toronto Police Service’s Asian Crime Unit, says. Few are criminals by trade, but most do enter Canada illegally, paying smugglers for perilous boat journeys or fraudulent documents that allow them to come by plane. “If 50% of them tell us their real names, we’re ahead of the game. We don’t know who they are, there’s no database or fingerprints or anything like that,” Det. Yeun says. New arrivals find jobs in grocery stores and restaurants in working-class areas near Spadina Avenue and Gerrard Street East, where they work for low wages to send money to their families in China.
“They take jobs that you and I would not take,” Joanne Lau, a Metro Toronto South East Asian Legal Clinic lawyer, says. Many recent arrivals are refugee claimants and are permitted to work until their hearing. Some have no legal status in Canada at all. Police seldom bother to check. “Even if we go there and arrest them for working without permits, the bottom line is they’re going to come back out again and claim refugee status,” Det. Yeun says. Patrolling Chinatown, Det. Yeun has come to know the Fukinese migrants and the thriving smuggling racket pedaling the North American dream. “They have to pay $38,000 to $48,000 to get smuggled into Canada.” Usually half is paid up front in China, the other half upon arrival. The smugglers, or snakeheads, are supplied with the contact numbers before they leave China and call demanding payment once their human cargo is delivered, Det. Yeun says. All new arrivals, even those who sneak into Canada undetected, are advised to make refugee claims that entitle them to medical care and social assistance. Most of the time, smugglers are promptly paid and the migrants are set free to eke out a living in Canada or try their luck in the United States. “They are hard- working citizens who hold down jobs,” Det. Yeun says. But in 10% to 15% of the cases, the Canadian contact fails to show up with the money, leaving the migrant under the control of a highly-organized gang of snakehead debt collectors. Women are sent to work in sleazy massage parlours in Toronto or New York. The men live 10 to a room in flophouses and work in the supermarkets, where they earn between $200 and $300 per month, Det. Yeun says. Snakeheads siphon the bulk of their wages, leaving the indentured labourers with less than $10 a day spending money. “They get up at 6 a.m. to go to work, and at 6 p.m., they’re all lined up in the back alleys squatting with a bowl of rice. Those are your Fukinese illegals who weren’t able to come up with the money to pay these snakeheads.” Fear keeps them silent and police get few complaints.
A rare glimpse into the closed, violent world will be offered in September, when court proceedings begin against five snakeheads charged with extortion, assault, uttering death threats and attempting to obstruct justice. Warrants have been issued for two more gang members who escaped after the February, 1998, incident. The case revolves around a family man who didn’t pay their smuggling debt and was caught by angry gang members while eating lunch in a downtown restaurant. As the family was beaten in front of terrified passersby on the corner of Spadina and Dundas, one gang member sent a thug to threaten their ageing father in Fujian. Det. Yeun wishes more victims would come forward, but fear of reprisals, both in Canada and back in China, make it unlikely. The flow of refugee claimants from China isn’t new, Ms. Lau says. “Recently it has gotten a lot of publicity because the methods are getting so outrageous.” Two boatloads of migrants from China’s Fujian province have landed in Canada this summer and up to two more boats are rumoured to be on the way. Most refugee claimants have arrived by plane. Canada suspended deportations of Chinese refugee claimants after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and allowed many to stay permanently under a special immigration program, which has ended. Today failed refugee claimants from China are reported once they have exhausted all their avenues of appeal.
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CFIRC goes 3,000 miles to protest against Illegial Immigration in British Columbia! Read the whole story and find out the truth about the silent invasion going on in BC! . http://www.canadafirst.net/news/victoria_protest/index.html
-=-=-=-=- W H O S E C O U N T R Y I S T H I S A N Y W A Y ? GET INVOLVED NOW! SIGN OUR PETITION AGAINST THESE TYPES OF IMMIGRATION ABUSES
http://www.canadafirst.net/scoc-petition
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CANADA FIRST IMMIGRATION REFORM COMMITTEE
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P.O. Box 332, Stn. “B” http://www.canadafirst.net Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 5L3 cfirc@canadafirst.cdmail.biz Tel: (905) 897-7221
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