Canada’s acceptance of Palestinian refugees from Gaza is setting off alarm bells south of the border.
In a letter Wednesday to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, United States Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) expressed concern over the program, which he warned could lead to an increased risk of allowing individuals with ties to terror groups easy access to the United States.
“On May 27, 2024, the Government of Canada announced its intent to increase the number of Gazans who will be allowed into their country under temporary special measures,” Rubio wrote in his letter, which was signed by five other Republican senators.
“We are deeply concerned and request heightened scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should any of them attempt to enter the United States at ports of entry as well as between ports of entry.”
Cosigning the letter were fellow senators Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Mike Braun, Joni Ernst and Josh Hawley.
Last month, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a five-fold increase in the number of Gazan refugees let into Canada, upping the program’s cap to 5,000 people.
The government’s initial cap on Palestinian refugees was 1,000.
As well, Palestinian refugees will be able to apply for work and study permits without charge.
The issue, the letter states, centres around the refugee travel document, which can be used in lieu of the refugee’s passport for international travel.
“After arriving in Canada and being issued this travel document, Palestinians can then travel outside Canada since the Refugee Travel Document becomes a valid form of identification, which is recognized in 146 countries for the purposes of filling out paperwork and applying for visas,” the letter stated, adding the United States is among those nations that accept such documents.
“However, with little to no reliable records or background checks of these individuals from the Palestinian Territories, these policies unlock opportunities for individuals with ties to terrorist groups to enter Canada, receive new forms of identification, and then try to enter the U.S. along the porous north border.”
Rubio’s letter accused the Biden administration’s lax border policy of enabling criminals and terrorists to cross into the United States, including via Canada.
“Unfortunately, so far in FY24, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations has encountered more than 233 suspected terrorists at our northern border, with many more likely going undetected,” the letter read.
“This is already higher than totals in previous years.”
Observers have noted worrying levels of anti-Israel extremism in Canada since the October 7 terror attacks in Israel, which saw Hamas terrorists conduct a campaign of murder, kidnappings and sexual assault on Israeli residents of Gaza-adjacent communities.
Earlier this week, 21-year-old Zachareah Adam Quraishi of Cold Lake, Alta. was killed after an attempted terror attack against armed guards outside Moshav Netiv Ha’asara in southern Israel.
Israeli officials say Quraishi arrived in Israel the day before the attack, posing as a tourist.
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