Ottawa dismisses security fears raised by US Senators regarding Gazan refugees entering Canada through the border

July 25, 2024 TruthUSA

Ottawa is refuting concerns expressed by a group of U.S. senators about Gaza refugees crossing the Canadian border into the United States.

Several Republican senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressing their concern over the security of the country’s border with Canada.

“Canada allowing Gazan refugees with potential terrorist ties into their country poses a national security threat to the U.S. northern border,” Sen. Rubio, one of the signatories, said in a July 24 post on the platform X.

Beside Sen. Rubio, the letter was signed by Sens. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Mike Braun, Joni Ernst, and Josh Hawley.

In the letter, the senators say they are concerned about documents given to the refugees, including a temporary resident visa (TRV) and refugee travel documents. They said the documents allow the refugees to travel outside of Canada.

“The Refugee Travel Document becomes a valid form of identification, which is recognized in 146 countries for the purposes of filling out paperwork and applying for visas. For example, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) accepts a Refugee Travel Document as a valid form of documentation for traveling purposes in place of a passport,” they wrote.

“It would be irresponsible for the U.S. to not take necessary heightened precautions when foreigners attempt to enter the United States.”

The senators said that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations has encountered 233 suspected terrorists at the Canada–U.S. border so far this year, a number they said was higher than totals in previous years.

A spokesperson from Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s office says the senators are wrong about the refugee travel documentation.

“It is categorically false to suggest that these special measures provide applicants with a Refugee Travel Document to replace their origin-country passport,” the spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times. “Canada only issues Refugee Travel Documents to individuals who have been found to be legitimate refugees through a separate assessment process.”

The spokesperson said that successful applicants are given a TRV or a temporary resident permit—something that is only valid for travel to Canada, not the United States, according to the spokesperson.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, 609 total TRVs were approved for Palestinians outside of Gaza, according to the minister’s office. That is in addition to the government’s special measures, which have approved 434 Gazans to come to Canada. These individuals left Gaza on their own and had TRV applications in progress, according to the minister’s office. After they submitted biometrics, the application was completed and their entry into Canada was approved, the spokersperson said.

“Records to date show that 189 people have arrived in Canada under the temporary special measures public policy,” the spokesperson said.

“Let us be clear: the safety of Canadians is paramount. All individuals who submit an application to come to Canada are subject to eligibility and admissibility requirements. IRCC screens all applications from all over the world for admissibility in order to maintain the security and safety of Canadians.”

According to the immigration ministry email, travellers who may be a risk are screened by immigration officials along with members of the Canada Border Services Agency, the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the United States.

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