9,400 Mexicans Filed Refugee Applications in Canada Last Year; Now Mexican Lesbians Allege Homophobic Persecution

Two Mexican lesbians filed for refugee status in Canada earlier this month, claiming Mexican officials will persecute them if they return home. So many Mexican and Czech nationals have filed refugee applications upon arrival that Canada has restricted visas granted to applicants from those countries. According to this report in The Ottawa Sun, more than 9,400 Mexicans filed refugee applications in Canada last year.

The Ottawa Sun
Mexican lesbian lovers claim refugee status in Canada
by Tom Godfrey

Two lesbians who slipped into Canada before visas were imposed on Mexicans have claimed refugee status, alleging they'll be raped or killed if sent back home. Norma Angelica Gomez, 33, and Alina Gallegos Lee, 34, say their dream is to get married in Toronto and be happy. The couple fled to Canada a year ago, but claimed asylum last March after going public with their love in Mexico. They claimed they were harassed, followed and beaten by Mexican police for expressing their love. "Canada is a good country and we feel free," Lee said yesterday. "At home, we were constantly persecuted for being lesbians."

The couple claim the attacks against them escalated after they were detained and beaten by police last year in Mexico. According to Amnesty International, gays and lesbians in Mexico are routinely beaten, sexually assaulted, raped or tortured by police and soldiers.

The couple's lawyer, George Kubes, said he's sending the lovers for an assessment at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. "They were beaten up by police and called names," Kubes said. "For a long time the Mexican police have been harassing them." He said the couple always dreamed of getting married in Canada and being happy. "They want to live a happy life in Canada," Kubes said. "This couple is genuinely in love."

Last Monday, visas were imposed by Canada to visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic due to a large number of those nationals staying behind as refugee claimants. Mexico has been Canada's top source of refugees since 2005. Last year, more than 9,400 refugee claims were filed in Canada by Mexican nationals. Of the claims reviewed and finalized last year, only 11% were accepted.

Documents for Travel to the United States

What is the WHTI?

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is a U.S. law that requires all travelers, including U.S. and Canadian citizens, to present a valid passport or other approved secure document when traveling to, or through, the United States from within the western hemisphere. The new document requirements were implemented for air travelers to the United States in January 2007. Final document requirements for those seeking to enter the United States at land or sea ports of entry have yet to be finalized and implemented.

What is the Government of Canada doing?

For the past two years, the Government of Canada has strongly encouraged the United States to ensure that the WHTI is implemented with minimal impact on travel and trade at the border and without compromising local communities and our integrated economies.

The Government of Canada has urged the U.S. administration to take advantage of the time granted by the U.S. Congress to get the WHTI implementation right. This will allow the two governments to continue to collaborate closely on a strategy for implementing the WHTI for land and water travel in a way that will address security needs, while facilitating the flow of legitimate travellers and goods across our shared border.

A shared commitment to security and prosperity

A working group headed by senior officials of the Canada Border Services Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is directing the work of government representatives.

Canada is concerned about the economic and community impacts of the WHTI if it is implemented before travelers on both sides of the border have obtained approved, secure documents.

Identifying secure documents

Government of Canada officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts to determine which alternative documents would be accepted at land and water ports of entry by the time the WHTI is fully implemented, at the earliest, on June 1, 2009.

Canada is working with the United States to ensure that the WHTI implementation increases security at the border without compromising the flow of legitimate trade and travel.

As part of this effort, the Government of Canada’s negotiations have led to recognition that enhanced driver’s licences (EDLs) and the Certificate of Indian Status card could potentially serve as acceptable alternatives to passports at the Canada-U.S. land and water borders.

The Government of Canada’s efforts have also resulted in Canadians aged 18 and under being allowed to present only a birth certificate to enter the United States by land and water.