Canada says 'not everyone is welcome' as Trump 2.0 mass deportations loom

Canada's immigration minister, Marc Miller, has taken a hardline stance on immigration and stated that “not everyone is welcome” in Canada. This comes, as the country braces for a potential influx of migrants fleeing the US to escape the mass deportations US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged.

Canada changing tunes?

Miller’s statement, as per the Guardian, is a notable departure from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2017 promise that “Canadians will welcome” asylum seekers.

As per the report, experts have chalked up this shift in tone on immigration and refugee policy to the dwindling public support for immigration.

Trump's mass deportation

The US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to enact mass deportation once he assumes office in January. Tom Homan, Trump's newly nominated 'Border Czar' on Monday, said that the incoming Trump 2.0 administration would target those living illegally in the US and who they consider a public safety threat.

Migration experts have predicted that Trump’s return to office could trigger significant migration to Canada, as undocumented people in the US seek refuge north of the border.

During Donald Trump’s first term, thousands of Haitians fled the US, seeking asylum in Canada after losing temporary protected status in America.

At that time, Trudeau took to social media to say: “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.”

However, recently, Canada Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said her government “absolutely recognize[d] the importance to border security and of controlling our own border, of controlling who comes into Canada and who doesn’t”.

Reportedly, Canada’s federal police force has been developing a strategy for “several months” to manage potential increases in border crossings.

However, migration experts have slammed the government’s shift. Audrey Macklin, a law professor at the University of Toronto, said: “Canada’s first and only response to what might be persecution in a neighbouring country is, ‘How do we prevent people from escaping to our country?’ It’s certainly familiar, unsurprising, and disappointing.”

(With inputs from agencies)