Ah, the Tamil refugee situation. Not that it’s super amazing but mainly because I’m just tired of Hearing Vic Toews and Harper trying to whip up a frenzy, and the disturbing fact that 60% of the country seems to have no respect for the refugee process.

It’s just another case of Canadians having no idea how their country works (and having politicians trying to capitalize).

I’ll start with this.  There was absolutely NO impropriety in refugees coming to this country unannounced.  Anyone who would even make a hint to this being the case is either extremely uneducated in the matter or a liar. The concept of “spontaneous arrivals” is well enshrined and protected in our domestic laws in addition to various international agreements.

So why the outrage? Why the warnings about scary, scary immigrants?

They were allowed to show. Canada processes thousands of refugees every year, we have the resources, they are set aside with the immigration plan every year.

Some try to take the angle that we should have stopped the refugees in order to discourage further ‘human trafficking’.  As if criminals would really care that once they’ve gotten all their money, their ‘customers’ did not make it to their final destination. Really? It’s not like there’s going to be complaints to a better business bureau, they’re criminals for a reason.

Add to this that there are actually many legitimate refugee claims from Sri Lanka every year. If they are not legitimate?  They will be sent back. You don’t just show up and become insta-refugee.

The we just have the added confusion of reporters trying to write about something they really don’t know about. Take this article for example.

But, in a very significant move, the UN said Tamils leaving Sri Lanka should no longer be automatically presumed to be refugees, and that asylum claims should be considered strictly on individual merit.

See even the UN says don’t take them! However, ALL refugee claims have ALWAYS been “considered strictly on individual merit.” That’s how the system works. The UN is reiterating what they just happened to put together in the 1951 Convention Relating to Refugees. It’s only been around for almost 60 years, I’m sure it’s on their reading list.

The UN warns: “Regular contributions of large sums of money, with the knowledge that those funds will be used to commit serious crimes, may also be an independent basis for exclusion [from refugee status.]”

Given reports that migrants paid up to $50,000 each to human smugglers connected to the Tamil Tigers, it would be irresponsible for the government to ignore the UN’s advice.

*SIGH* Again, if we actually bothered to research the topic… Criminal activity will prevent you from attaining refugee status BUT there is a general exemption if these acts are done in the process of leaving your country in order to claim refugee status. That way you won’t be denied status if you happen to buy a fake passport or other superficial reasons, such as, you know, paying for transport, which happens to be a boat across the Pacific.

Therein lies the problem. The sources that are supposed to actually inform you, don’t really know themselves, and sadly spread misinformation. And then people are bending over backwards to keep spreading that misinformation.

There’s no legal, financial, or policy reason to send them back. It really is just a complete racist anti-immigration stance.

Kelly McParland tries to be ironic with this, calling Canadians “anti-immigration SOBs” and “anti-Tamil bigots” before linking the Send Them Back attitude with a mistrust of the immigration system. But it’s not irony. With claims of the system being “badly broken” and yet no real grasp of how the system works; it seems to me that we have an easy excuse.

No one who actually understands the issue at hand would suggest that you send back refugee claimants because you think some changes need to be made to the immigration system.

To punctuate the point? A sampling of the racist comments found on the National Post article.

“Perhaps Canadians are fed up with people who come to this country and call themselves Saudi-Canadians Palestinian-Canadians or Tamil-Canadians”

“I hate when the government print things in other languages other than ENglish and French”

” [...] what Canada DOES NOT stand for – becoming a roach motel for transient welfare-hounds and a playground for various ethnic-mafia snakeheads.”

“close immigration from terrorist nations, promote reproduction by our own population…”

“I don’t want TERRORIST refugees here.”

“I don’t think it’s much of stretch to say almost all immigrants, not all, but almost all come from blatantly racist countries and many of these individuals harbour racist feelings but are good at hiding it , they are bringing it here and we are not doing much to stop it.”

“They are here to continue their old life, complete with prejudices and hatred, and attempt to mold Canada to support their “struggle”, while at the same time draining the resources of money that taxpayers contribute for OUR wellbeing.”

“Canadians are not anti immigrant snobs. True Canadians are gracious, kind and considerate. The problem that we Canadians face is that we have now had two generations of immigrants many that are loud, demanding, arrogant and obnoxious.”

It’s not us! It’s them! It’s just not our fault that they don’t want to integrate, and they speak another language, and they just want to live on welfare, that they are terrorists, that actually they are the racist ones, and that all our recent immigrants suck. By the way we should really be breeding more white babies.

Nope, no racism there.

And oh yeah,

I’m not an anti-immigrant snob. Many of my best and dearest friends are immigrants and I made a good living teaching ESL.

I can’t be racist! I know minorities!

Spare me.

Further Information:

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees & 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees