Hundreds protest Canadian immigration laws

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TORONTO — Juan Carlos Aranga says he was relaxing in his room listening to music when Canadian border service officers burst in and demanded to see his passport.

The 23-year-old refugee claimant from Mexico, who has lived in Canada for the past four years, says he thinks the officers were looking for the person who rented the Toronto-area room prior to him.

But, Mr. Aranga recalled as he marched in a protest Saturday in Toronto with hundreds of other immigrants and refugees, the officers from Immigration Canada's enforcement branch, allowed in by his roommate, stood impatiently in his room and were rude to him while he searched for his identification.

As a refugee claimant, his passport is now in the hands of Immigration Canada while he awaits a hearing to get refugee status.

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Wilson not worried about U.S. troops guarding border

“Security is paramount and we believe that too,” he said. “There are a lot of myths out there about the Canadian border that started after 9-11 when people said half the terrorists came from Canada.”

A State Department report last month said Canada's “liberal” immigration system has allowed terrorists to gain asylum there to raise funds and plan attacks.

“There were a number of things in that report that we disagreed with,” said Mr. Wilson. He noted the report identified five terrorists in Canada but failed to mention that four are in jail and the fifth is under close scrutiny.

Mr. Wilson acknowledged, however, that it's “probably a little easier” for refugees to be accepted in Canada and they're more difficult to deport if they're found to be undeserving of refugee status.

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