The number of Haitian and Mexican refugee claimants pouring into the southwest Ontario border city of Windsor is unprecedented, says a social agency worker there.
"We've never seen anything quite like this, this amount of people coming all at once," Jacquie Rumiel of the Windsor and Essex County YMCA told Canada AM on Wednesday.
Hundreds of Mexicans and Haitians have filed for refugee status there. They are overwhelming local services and prompting calls for federal help from Premier Dalton McGuinty.
So far, more than 300 refugees -- many with children born in the United States -- have crossed into the province by bus from Detroit, just across the Detroit River.
"There is definitely a strain on all resources," Rumiel said, adding the YMCA only provides referral services.
Yanick Samedy, from Haiti, spent 15 years living in Florida. Desperate to avoid a deportation crackdown, and after hearing rumours Canada would accept her, she fled north with her family.
"We heard that, so everyone takes their chance," she told 麻豆影视 on Tuesday.
After five hours with border officials her refugee papers were in order. But because Windsor lacks enough facilities for immigrants like Samedy, she's been placed in a low-budget hotel.
Still, she said the living conditions were far better than her homeland.
"There's violence, insecurity, kidnapping, I already have four kids," she said. "It's not good to go back to my country."
McGuinty stressed that the sudden influx of refugees is not just a problem for Windsor -- it's a problem for the entire country.
Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis has said that city services are being pushed to the limit because of the situation.
He estimates that housing and social assistance for the refugees is costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Last Friday, Francis met with Jacques Sinjuste, founder of Jerusalem Haitian Community Centre in Florida.
Sinjuste, accused of being responsible for sending a wave of immigrants to Windsor, told Francis there are more busloads on the way.
"He gave specific reference as to one that will be coming the first week of October and they've already made accommodation arrangements on the Detroit side of the border," Francis said.
Social assistance
Currently, 185 of the 300 refugees are being given social assistance in Windsor.
Francis has written the federal and provincial governments asking for funding to help cover the cost of housing them while they wait for their refugee claims to be heard.
The province at present pays about 80 per cent of the costs while municipalities take care of the rest.
McGuinty said the province will be sending more cash to help deal with the situation.
"No single Canadian community should have to assume all the financial costs associated with those refugees on their own," he said, adding that he is asking the federal government to also help out.
Most of the immigrants have arrived with the help of Florida-based groups who say Canada has special permits to provide Mexican and Haitian citizens claiming refugee status a quick turnaround.
Refugee status
Most of the claims have little chance of success, because Canadian refugee status is only meant to be given to people with a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country.
According to the Geneva Convention, persecution must be based on reasons of race, nationality, membership of a specific social group or political opinion. Gender, in some cases, can also be a factor.
Also, those applying from a "safe third country," such as the U.S., are ineligible to make refugee claims at a Canadian border crossing by land.
If Mexicans come to Canada through the U.S., for example, they must make refugee claims there, and are not eligible here.
With a report from CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in Windsor and files from The Canadian Press
