Mexican Asylum Seekers Set Their Sights North — On Canada | Chicago News

On this Aug. 7, 2017 file picture, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer informs a migrant couple of the situation of a authorized border station, shortly earlier than they illegally crossed from Champlain, N.Y., to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, utilizing Roxham Highway. (AP Photograph / Charles Krupa, File)

MONTREAL (AP) — Pedro Meraz says dwelling in Colima, Mexico, was like dwelling in a conflict zone, with shootings, burning automobiles and dismembered our bodies being left outdoors of faculties.

When his spouse Rocio Gonzalez, a 28-year-old lawyer who labored with abused ladies, started receiving demise threats from a cartel and the native authorities ignored her pleas for help, they knew they needed to go away.

“They knew the place we lived and what automobile we drove,” mentioned Meraz, 41, who taught at The College of Colima, close to the Pacific Coast and about 300 miles west of Mexico Metropolis. “Feeling that you will lose your life, or considered one of your daughters, I don’t thoughts ranging from scratch.”

The household is a part of a surge within the variety of Mexicans who’ve requested asylum in Canada this yr. As a result of relative ease of acquiring asylum in Canada in comparison with the U.S., visa-free journey between Mexico and Canada, and the specter of violence again residence, greater than 8,000 Mexican nationals have sought refugee standing in 2022. That is virtually 5 instances as many as final yr and greater than twice as many as in 2019, the final yr earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic and the journey restrictions that accompanied it.

The overwhelming majority of them are flying in to Montreal, which has many direct flights to and from Mexico.

Amongst them is Viviana Tapia Gonzalez, a human rights activist and mom of 4 from Aguascalientes, about 265 miles northwest of Mexico Metropolis, who mentioned she left Mexico in January after being attacked by the army. She mentioned her work with the households of lacking and murdered ladies and ladies made her a goal.

“Loss of life threats had been fixed,” she mentioned. “I assumed it was the final possibility I needed to be secure. I work for a lot of causes and assist many individuals. I didn’t wish to cease serving to, however I need to additionally shield (and) deal with myself.”

Tapia Gonzalez has been dwelling in a Montreal ladies’s shelter whereas awaiting a call on her asylum declare, which she fears may get rejected.

If her declare is turned down, she wouldn’t be alone.

Within the first 9 months of 2022, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, an impartial tribunal that investigates and decides asylum circumstances, finalized greater than 2,700 claims by Mexican asylum seekers. Of these, 1,032 had been accepted, 1,256 had been rejected; and the remaining 400-plus had been both deserted, withdrawn, or had different outcomes, mentioned Christian Tessier, an IRB spokesperson.

In Canada, claimants should meet the United Nations’ definition of a “conference refugee,” that means they’re outdoors of their residence international locations and have a well-founded concern that they might be persecuted in the event that they returned primarily based on their race, faith, political views, nationality or affiliation with a social group. In any other case, they need to show that they want safety and might’t safely return to their residence international locations with out risking torture, merciless or uncommon punishment, or demise.

Regardless of the chance of rejection, although, the surge in Mexicans looking for refugee standing in Canada persists.

The Welcome Collective, a Montreal-based charitable group that gives important items to new asylum seekers, mentioned half of the group’s present purchasers got here from Mexico — a 300% improve in contrast with earlier this yr.

“They needed to run away due to violence and different humanitarian causes. To discover a higher place for his or her youngsters,” mentioned Flavia Leiva, the group’s volunteer and social outreach coordinator.

As for what’s inflicting the rise in candidates, Leiva recommended that social media is enjoying a task.

“There have been YouTubers and a few movies on TikTok speaking about how straightforward it’s to come back to Canada,” she mentioned.

At the very least one YouTube video that was revealed 10 months in the past and made for a Mexican viewers explains the Canadian immigration course of in Spanish and has greater than 4 million views.

It has been tougher for Mexicans to hunt asylum within the U.S. because the begin of the pandemic. A U.S. public well being rule that suspends the precise to hunt asylum on the grounds of stopping the unfold of COVID-19 has fallen disproportionately laborious on Mexicans. Title 42 authority has been used to expel migrants greater than 2.4 million instances because it was launched in March 2020.

Additional including to Canada’s attract is that Mexicans haven’t wanted a visa to journey to the nation because the Canadian authorities lifted the requirement in late 2016.

Leiva additionally recommended that extra Mexicans may be selecting to come back to Canada as a substitute of america as a result of they assume it’s safer.

“Within the U.S., they’re put in cages, the circumstances will not be pretty much as good,” Leiva mentioned. “Individuals don’t really feel secure or protected.”

Meraz mentioned he and his household determined that Canada would provide them the perfect probability to begin over.

“My spouse investigated the existence of worldwide treaties to guard people who find themselves in danger,” he mentioned.

He referenced Canadian insurance policies and rules defending ladies and youngsters along with the nation’s comparatively low crime fee.

“The U.S. was by no means in our minds, since there’s a variety of violence … assaults the place many harmless individuals die,” mentioned Meraz. “Canada, statistically, has a really low fee of violence and its high quality of life is a lot better than the USA.”

He mentioned his household selected Montreal as a substitute of another Canadian metropolis due to logistics, although he is having second ideas.

“When you had been to ask me proper now if I’d select one other place, then possibly,” mentioned Meraz, noting that he and his household should now study French.

Hayet Mohammed, who manages the French language program at Carrefour Solidarité Anjou, a nonprofit that helps newcomers settle in Quebec, mentioned not solely is acquiring refugee standing simpler in Canada, however there are many assets for asylum seekers as soon as they arrive.

“They will work as quickly as they’ve their refugee standing and are entitled to (French) programs given by the (Ministry of Immigration in Quebec) which supplies them monetary help and eventually, there are a lot of work alternatives, and they aren’t liable to discovering themselves unemployed,” mentioned Mohammed.

“Being a newcomer myself with my little household, there isn’t a different nation that provides immigrants so many services when it comes to coaching, work and youngster advantages. All this stuff make individuals go away their international locations of origin and are available to make their lives right here, hundreds of miles away from their households,” she mentioned.