issue 17/ vol 45

The great wall
of US-Mexico

>» And what that means for US-Canada relations

Tania Arora
Staff Reporter

 

[: been a month since the US
government was shut down, and it still
appears that Republicans and Democrats
have yet to reach a consensus about the
Mexico-US border.

In December of 2018, the US
government shut down due to the
president’s and lawmakers’ failure to
come up with an agreement to fund parts
of government, including the proposed
border wall. President Donald Trump
had been looking fora way to prevent
undocumented asylum seekers from
reaching the US. This has so far been
the longest US government shutdown in
history.

According to US Customs and Border
Protection’s data, “In November, 51,856
people were apprehended between ports of
entry on the Southwest Border, compared
with 51,001 in the month of October. In
[the fiscal year of 2018], a total of 396,579
individuals were apprehended between
ports of entry on our Southwest Border.”

The administration requested
funds amounting to $5.7 billion in order
to construct a 234-mile barrier on the
southern border. Trump's government
demanded $675 million to come up with
systems and fund manpower that would
supposedly detect and stop arms, weapons,
narcotics, and other illegal items from
entering the country. Other requested
resources amounted to billions of dollars
to hire additional Border Patrol agents, ICE
personnel, immigration judges, detention
beds, support staff, and transportation.

“Now is the time—this is the
moment—to finally secure the border and
create the lawful and safe immigration
system Americans, and those wanting to
become Americans, deserve,” said Trump
in a national address on January 8.

The wall has been criticized for being
an expensive and unreliable endeavour to
keep people out of the US. Some naturalists

have even warned that it would interrupt
migration patterns for many animals

that travel between the US and Mexico.
Moreover, Trump has been criticized for
depicting all asylum seekers as dangerous
when in reality, many families bring their
young children across the border while
fleeing violence.

According to the Trump
administration, more than 2,000
“inadmissible” immigrants arrive at the
border every day. More than 800,000
cases are pending in courts. Many
individuals have been arrested, charged,
and imprisoned, making it difficult for
undocumented immigrants to obtain
citizenship.

It should be noted that it is currently
not illegal for migrants to cross borders
with the intent of seeking asylum—in fact,
asylum seekers can only apply for asylum
once they are in the country they intend to
seek asylum from.

Sarabjeet Kaur Gill, an international
student studying Finance at Douglas
College, said in an interview with the
Other Press, “What is even Trump trying
to get out of this? We already have so many
borders separating the nations [...] Next
we hear will be Trump planning to build a
border with Canada. This is inhumane.”

Some speculate that the border
wall will only change the way that
undocumented immigrants enter the US,
which could impact Canada. People may
choose to fly into Canada and then go
across the Canada-US border due to its
looser border restrictions. As a result, it
could lead to Canada and the US having
tighter borders as well.

“Tt’s like putting the whole country
at stake to get the demands fulfilled,” said
Gill. “This doesn’t seem like protecting the
nation at all. He has separated more than
millions of families, tagging the action as
‘protection of the country’ He isn't building
anything. The whole process has just led to
a big-time destruction, [the] effect of which
will be borne for generations to come.”

 

 

 

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news // no. 5

Feud between
Canada and China

» International controversy involves
the arrest of Meng Wanzhou

Tania Arora
Staff Reporter

Wr happens when you are ona flight
t

o another destination and you get
arrested during a layover?

Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial
Officer of Huawei, is currently in this
predicament. The case here is all about
power and money, which has caused a
worldwide stir. Vancouver seems to be in
the spotlight after what has become an
international controversy.

CC

 

said Thakkar. “Dirt is spilled upon Canada
for no reason. The only fault of the country
was to sign the treaty with [the] US. It has
become unsafe for Canadians to now travel
to China”

China has been demanding the
release of its citizen since the arrest. Since
being released on a $10-million bail, Meng
has been kept under tight scrutiny at an
unknown location in Vancouver. Her each
and every movement is being monitored.

On December 21 of last year, Chrystia
Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs,

“This will affect the long-term

relations between Canada and China.”

— Saksham Thakkar, international student at Douglas

Also known as Sabrina Meng and
Cathy Meng, this Chinese executive is one
of the board members of Huawei. The
telecom giant—which is one of the China’s
largest private companies—was founded by
Meng’s father Ren Zhengfei.

Canada was not directly involved
with the case but had to arrest Meng on
December 1, 2018 due to the Canada-US
Extradition Treaty. This treaty is intended
to assist both countries in arresting
criminals who are not on local soil.

The feud between Canada and
China seems to be getting worse:

China has so far detained at least two
Canadians over alleged security threats
and ordered the execution of Canadian
Robert Schellenberg, who had been
previously given a 15-year sentence for drug
smuggling.

Saksham Thakkar, an international
student at Douglas College, said in an
interview with the Other Press, “One can
easily see [the] US slipping out of the whole
situation.”

Meng is accused of using a shell
company to do business with Iran, in
violation of US sanctions against Iran.

“Here, the countries involved are Iran
and [the] US, and Meng is from China,”

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released an official statement regarding the
issue of Canadian citizens held by China.

“Canada is a country governed by the
rule of law. Canada is conducting a fair,
unbiased, and transparent legal proceeding
with respect to Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s
Chief Financial Officer,’ said Freeland.
“Canada respects its international legal
commitments, including by honouring its
extradition treaty with the United States.
The rule of law is fundamental to all free
societies; we will defend and uphold this
principle. We are deeply concerned by the
arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities
of two Canadians earlier this month and
call for their immediate release.”

It seems totally uncertain as to how
long will it take for the US to complete its
investigation and Canada to release Meng.
However, as the proceedings stretch on,
China may continue to arrest Canadians
abroad.

Thakkar added that he thinks this
controversy will have lasting effects on the
two countries.

“China is all set to fight for it,’ he said.
“Tt won't remain silent—and in the whole
process the harm would be suffered by no
one but Canada. This will affect the long-
term relations between Canada and China”

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Photo of Meng Wanzhou by Alexander Bibik via Reuters