Canada: Old man/young man Chinese asylum seeker used US passport

This is an update on the story that is now all over the news that we reported here a few days ago.

Seems the Chinese man who used an elaborate mask of an old man to board a plan in Hong Kong was helped by at least one American.

From CTV Winnipeg:

A young Chinese refugee claimant who disguised himself as an elderly white male to board a flight to Canada used a legitimate U.S. passport and other identification, CTV News has learned.

Sources close to the investigation say the man received the passport and other documents, including a boarding pass, from an elderly white American who passed through security.

The refugee claimant then flushed the documents down the airplane toilet during the flight, CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Monday night. [We’ve heard of this standard asylum-seeker procedure of flushing documents down the toilet in flight—ed]

Police in Hong Kong believe the young man had at least two accomplices, including the American.

“Officials say that this isn’t your usual human smuggling operation run by organized crime. They suspect that he might be a Chinese dissident,” Fife said.

The incident has revealed that Canada has a security leak.

Richard Kurland, a Vancouver immigration lawyer who is not involved in the case, told The Canadian Press that the media leak was a serious breach of security.

“A refugee claim happens many times a day in Canada, but an intelligence bulletin that’s current, that finds its way to CNN? It’s astonishing,” Kurland said.

“It’s a potential hole in the intelligence fence.

Read it all.

Another asylum seeker to test Canadian refugee policy

Update November 9th:  Chinese man had US passport, here.

Canada is in the midst of soul-searching over how to handle all the asylum seekers arriving in Canada these days.  Here is the latest and most novel entry so far (forget those mundane human trafficking ships)!

Old man turns into young man (CBC Newson flight, thanks to Drudge (be sure to see photos):

A young Asian male has been intercepted by authorities in Vancouver after boarding a flight from Hong Kong disguised as an elderly white man, officials say.

Canada Border Services Agency officers boarded the Air Canada plane after it landed Oct. 29 and took the man into custody, the agency said in a statement issued by its Pacific region.

[….]

The man quickly made a claim for refugee protection after his arrest, the agency said.

[….]

A CBSA official said he would appear before an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing.

His name, the date of his hearing and his reason for seeking refugee status have not been made public.

About two weeks ago we told you about an American actor and his wife, running from the law in the US, asking for asylum in Canada, here.

Canada’s American actor “refugee,” one Canadian’s opinion

This is a short follow-up to my post of last night about American actor in trouble with the law in the US, Randy Quaid, seeking refugee status in Canada.  While reading another article on the controversial issue of asylum seekers seeing Canada as their “sugar daddy,” I noted this comment from reader ‘let me tell you how it is:

Look at the hilarious spectacle of what American actor Randy Quaid and his wife are doing in Vancouver with claiming refugee status. This American with US arrest warrants is showing what a farce and how Canadians are such gullible suckers for any hard-luck story.

He is likely just getting free publicity for some upcoming movies he’s releasing or product he’s peddling.

Only a Canadian would take seriously this claim from an American unemployed class c actor with obvious mental health issues of paranoia.

That a IRB judge wouldn’t immediately deport him to face his US arrest warrants reveals what a farce the system is. The judge billing at $350 and hour will now have to figure out what to do with this clown and fill all the paperwork out. Meanwhile American Randy and his wife get free money and free health care for up to 2 years.

Surprise, surprise!  Not all Canadians are so “welcoming.”

Actor says Canada “welcoming” and asks for refugee status

Speaking of Canada (see previous post), it appears that actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have skipped bail in California and hopped up to Canada and are now asking for asylum!  They say they are being persecuted by actor murderers!

From AP:

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife told Canada’s immigration board Friday they are seeking refuge in Canada because they are being persecuted in the United States, after they were arrested on U.S. warrants related to vandalism charges.

The pair were arrested on Thursday afternoon in a shopping area of an affluent Vancouver neighborhood.

The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara, where they missed a court hearing Monday on felony vandalism charges.

Other actors “murdered” so therefore we need refugee status in Canada—huh!

Evi Quaid begged a Canadian immigration adjudicator not to force them to return, saying on Friday that eight friends, such as actors David Carradine and Heath Ledger, have been “murdered” under mysterious circumstances and she’s worried something will happen to her husband next.

“We feel our lives are in danger,” she said.

Canada is “welcoming,” right!

“I love Canada,” Randy Quaid told the adjudicator.

“It’s been a very welcoming nation to me.

Quaid’s even got that refugee lingo down pat!

 Update October 26th:  One Canadians opinion, here.

Canada to increase number of Iraqi refugees in coming year

The interesting bit in this article to me is the reference to Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program.  In other words, private groups and individuals take care of the new refugees and not the government.   I’ve said on many occasions that that is how our program should be run as well.   And, don’t let anyone tell you that groups like Catholic Charities, World Relief and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society are doing just that here—they aren’t!  Our program was originally set up as a Public-Private Partnership but increasingly American so-called charities rely on taxpayer funding to do their “charitable” work!

From Marketwire:

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Oct. 23, 2010) Canada will extend its measures for Iraqi refugees for at least two additional years, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. As a result of today’s announcement, Canada will resettle an additional 8,600 refugees.

In 2009, in response to ongoing conditions in Iraq and requests from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Canada more than doubled the number of resettled refugees it would welcome through its mission in Damascus, where most Iraqi refugees apply. Canada committed to resettling approximately 2,500 refugees a year under its private sponsorship program between 2009 and 2011. In 2010, Canada also increased the number of refugees from Damascus it plans to resettle through the UN program as government-assisted refugees, from 1,400 to 1,800 per year.

More refugees sponsored privately in Canada than are government assisted.

In total, through the PSR Program, Canada has welcomed more than 200,000 refugees from all over the world, over and above the number of refugees resettled through the government assisted program.

Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is welcoming another 80,000 GOVERNMENT ASSISTED refugees to the US this coming year, here.