Canadian coyotes!!!? Romanians suspected of smuggling Gypsies into Canada through Mexico, US
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Transcript of Canadian coyotes!!!? Romanians suspected of smuggling Gypsies into Canada through Mexico, US
637 S. Victory Blvd.| Burbank, CA 91502 | Phone: (818) 567-4400 | Fax: (818) 567-4401 www.fhofficesystems.com
Romanians suspected of smuggling Gypsies
into Canada through Mexico, US
y Associated Press,
TORONTO — Canadian immigration officials believe a Romanian smuggling ring has been
bringing Gypsies into the U.S. through Mexico in order for them to eventually gain asylum in
Canada.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Wednesday that 85 people, including 35 children, who
arrived in Canada since February have now been classified as “irregular arrivals,” which means
they can’t apply for permanent residence status for at least five years.
“Quite frankly we really haven’t seen anything like this in our immigration system before.
People from Europe that go to Mexico, that go through the U.S. to come to Canada and then go
to Toronto where many of them got involved in criminal activity,” Kenney said at a news
conference in Stanstead, Quebec, a town that borders Vermont.
Thirty of the irregular arrivals have been arrested under newly enacted immigration laws that
allow for the mandatory detention of those suspected to have arrived in Canada via smugglers,
Kenney said.
Over the past year, cars loaded with ethnic Roma asylum seekers have run the border between
Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec. The border crossing was previously all-but-non-
existent before 9/11. The once-open streets between Vermont and Quebec have now have
become the preferred route into Canada for refugees who carry Romanian passports. Only
recently has Canada beefed up security in Stanstead.
Kenney declined to identify their ethnicity but said the groups of Romanian nationals illegally
crossed into Canada between February and October.
Kenney said the Romanians would typically spend a few days in Mexico before illegally
crossing the U.S. border and then driving north into Quebec, where police would typically hold
them until they requested asylum and would be released.
He said many of the Romanians went to Toronto and some to Montreal. Canadian officials said
many arrived in indebted to a criminal organization and in some cases engaged in crime to pay
back the smuggling debts. Twelve have been charged in unrelated crimes since arriving in
Canada.
Kenney noted that Canada has one of the most generous immigration systems in the world but
said they won’t tolerate those who abuse that generosity or cheat the system to jump the queue.
637 S. Victory Blvd.| Burbank, CA 91502 | Phone: (818) 567-4400 | Fax: (818) 567-4401 www.fhofficesystems.com
“We are sending a strong message to those who are thinking of using the services of criminal
human smugglers to sneak their way into Canada - don’t do it,” Kenney said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in California have noticed a spike in
Romanian border crossers.
“You don’t normally find people from Romania crossing in El Centro,” said ICE San Diego
spokesman Lauren Mack. The agents apprehending them know they are dealing with gypsies.
“We have noticed and are aware of an increase in the number of Roma who are being smuggled
into the United States and are concerned about it.”
Mack said they are also aware the Romanians are headed to Canada.
Associated Press writer Wilson Ring in Burlington, Vermont contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.