Hola Amigos

It appears now that Windsor has a major problem with respect to Mexican immigration. Or do we? Is it all show for some other reason?

Now we may know how the politicians in some of the US states feel when they have a problem of illegal aliens. Perhaps some of the smugness of Canadians, and Windsorites in particular, will be put to the test.

However, a twist in this issue has arisen as a result of a Letter to the Editor on Saturday in the Star. I do not know who Art Williams is. However, he has made a very serious allegation in his Letter about the Mayor that requires an immediate explanation. He alleged:

• "It has certainly been no secret to our mayor that Windsor has been heading toward an immigration crisis. For several years now, the non-profit agencies in the city that help newcomers settle into our community have been asking the mayor for leadership in putting together a comprehensive settlement plan. The requests have been rebuffed...
  
  As long ago as 2005, it was reported to the mayor that the province and the city were facing a demographic crunch and that the strategic importance of immigration for Windsor was increasing. We knew then the immigrant profile in the city was different from the rest of Canada. We knew then that Windsor was a destination city and retaining immigrants in the city would not be the major challenge. Rather, settlement and attracting immigrant entrepreneurs would be among our greatest challenges."

It is clear that he was not talking about the emergency refugee issue that has arisen with the Mexicans who have arrived here and it appears will be arriving here by the busload. He is talking about "normal" immigration. However, immigration questions will be asked as the refugee crisis goes on about how the City has planned for both types of entries.

My immediate question is: are the actions of the Mayor NOW in relation to the Mexican situation designed to deflect the wider question of immigration in Windsor that Mr. Williams is raising or other failures on his part? Is it better to get people worked up about illegal immigration rather than the economic mess we are in or the WUC fiasco?

Here is why I ask. I have a couple of questions to ask about the money that Windsor is supposed to be spending dealing with the new refugee-immigrants. I thought there was a program that the Senior Levels have where they pay up to 80% of the costs. Dwight Duncan said:

• "The province is paying for 80 per cent of the costs. We're working with the City of Windsor and the mayor."

I wonder as well if the County has to make a contribution.

If that is correct, and I do not know what the facts are, then the huge numbers that are being tossed around that Windsor has to pay are not as big as we thought. In fact, MP Jeff Watson said that the Feds could adjust the funding if required. Why then the big headlines about money if this is all true? Why the big scare tactics? The Mayor must have known the facts about financial re-imbursement some time ago. Is he doing this to help out his Liberal buddies here, to deflect attention away from the Provincial Liberals at a time when they have been funded by the Feds for such a case as Jeff Watson claims?

It's funny, we want it both ways. We are proud of our position as the gateway to Canada but in taking that attitude there are also some negatives, one of which is dealing with illegal aliens. Isn't that a cost of doing business especially when the City is a border crossing operator.

The other matter that we are going to have to deal with in relation to the Mexican issue in Windsor is multiculturalism. Our heritage is very important to us since we have so many groups living in this City from all parts of the world. Yet, how does that fit in with some of the nasty comments that are being made about the Mexicans. Oh I understand the negativity about people playing the system and jumping the line but we do need to be careful in what we say.

The matter is not an easy one and gets very complicated. My understanding is that Mexicans do not require a visa to enter into Canada. If that is the case that makes it almost impossible for immigration officers to keep them out of the country if they say they are coming here for a visit.

The problem is not unique to Windsor. I wonder how many immigrants ask for refugee status every day at Canada's major airports. How is all that being paid for and could that apply to the Windsor situation?

The concern for citizens I think is that someone somewhere is playing the system and that everyone loses other than that someone who is making a bundle of money. The immigrants lose since chances are they will be returned to their home country after they had paid out significant sums of money to get to Canada in the first place. Windsor and Canada loses because we are obliged to put these people up at considerable expense until the Immigration hearings are held.

I do not have an answer to the this immediate problem but I only hope that in dealing with the problem, we can deal with it with great sensitivity. However, we also need to talk about the wider issue that Mr.Willams raised and what it means for Windsor.