Canada: New Immigration Law, 9-11 blamed for Refugee Gridlock

Canada’s Immigration Refugee Board points to the September 11 terrorist attacks and the new immigration law that followed to explain its backlog, which has ballooned to a record 51,929 cases.

In his annual performance report, IRB chairman Peter Showler writes that the number of refugee claims reached unprecedented levels this year, “surpassing all forecasts and resulting in an unavoidable backlog.”

Showler said increased security measures in the wake of September 11, combined with the challenge of bringing staff up to speed on the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, slowed down the process.

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Asylum Seekers Expelled Last Week Headed Back To Calais

Sources say many of the asylum-seekers expelled from a Calais church last week and moved other parts of France are already headed back to the Channel coast. Although most agreed verbally to seek asylum in France, very few have actually done so, abandoning the right to seek asylum in Britain.

Thirteen refugees who were taken to the small town Joué-les-Tours left the shelter immediately upon arrival, saying that they were going shopping. They did not return, and are believed to have made their way back to Calais. Similar stories were reported in other towns.

French and British authorities predict that the flow of new arrivals at the Channel coast will soon dry up, once news is spread of the new British immigration law and the renewed firmness of French police.