Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the trip to Washington D.C. to speak to newly-elected president, Donald Trump.
The meeting was mostly characterized in the popular media by Trudeau’s dominant handshaking skills, but there were several pressing issues that came into question.
One of most discussed issues pertained to border security and migration.
Even though our Heads of State flaunt two completely different immigration policies, they both insisted that our governments will work collaboratively to match “security with openness.”
These words may seem productive, but the reality is that Trudeau missed his first opportunity to call Trump out on his incoherent policies.
While Trudeau was busy praising the long-standing relationship between Canada and the United States, forty U.S. residents were preparing to illegally walk through farmers’ fields into Canada to claim refugee status.
Many of those people were successful, even caught on tape.
This is troubling for many reasons.
Not only has Trudeau ignored the conditions that led to this mass migration, he is also ignoring the dangers that come with accepting undocumented immigrants.
Canada’s renowned immigration system is famous for preserving the rights and dignity of migrants while simultaneously protecting Canadians from those who wish to do us harm.
Either out of fear or ignorance, some Americans feel compelled to bypass this system to seek asylum in Canada.
Don’t get me wrong, nobody deserves to live with the fear of being unfairly persecuted. However, it is undeniable that Trudeau needs to strengthen border security measures before the situation becomes unmanageable.
The Canadian government needs to make sure that each asylum seeker from the U.S. immediately passes through a checkpoint upon arrival: not because they may be minorities, but because they are strangers.
Undocumented migrants have unleashed a devastating wave of crime in European countries like Germany and illegal immigration was one of the key issues that Trump used against his establishment rivals to win the election.
The United States have locked up more prisoners than any other country in the world and it is home to more firearms than people.
If Trudeau is serious about wanting to keep Canadians safe, then his priority ought to be to preserve the integrity of the world’s longest undefended border.
Canada has a long-standing reputation of being a welcoming nation and it is easy to forget that nearly all Canadians are the direct result of some form of migration.
Nevertheless, the federal government can’t be expected to bear the burden of Trump’s discriminatory policies.
Trudeau can’t afford to remain idle for much longer.
He must acknowledge the threats imposed by both Trump and by undocumented migrants before innocent North Americans are forced to pay the price.