This is the story of Wisly Bejean, as reported in this morning's Globe & Mail. Mr. Bejean is no relation to Michaëlle Jean, the soon-to-be-ex Governor General of Canada. But he is her countryman, i.e. a Haitian, and he was living in the Montréal area.
Mr. Bejean had entered Canada at Fort Erie, Ontario, in October 2007, and immediately applied for asylum. While his claim was "pending" he was living as the guest of Canadian taxpayers, enjoying the numerous benefits dished out to refugee claimants, asylum seekers and other jetsam who wash up on Canada's shores.
Mr. Bejean, however, would have preferred to live in Florida. [Wouldn't we all? ed.] He had been living there before he came to Canada, and only migrated because he was facing deportation. Moreover, it seems he had a fiancee there and was keen to get back to her. So he set out on foot to cross the border back into the U.S.A. He was caught two weeks ago at 3:15 a.m. in the border village of North Troy, Vermont. He had no documents.
Here's where it gets interesting. Instead of apologizing to him for not being able give him instant legal status and social benefits, the U.S. Attorney is prosecuting Mr. Bejean and about three dozen other Haitians caught trying the same trick. They face up to two years in jail if found guilty of re-entering the country while facing an outstanding deportation order.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says that, while it has discretion about prosecuting such cases, it couldn’t turn a blind eye to a recent increase in alleged illegal entries. Said Tristram Coffin, the U.S. Attorney for Vermont, “It’s an issue that requires us to respond with a significant message of deterrence. We have laws against illegal immigration.”
Walt wonders if Mr. Coffin's opposite numbers in Canada heard this.
No comments:
Post a Comment