Busting border crossing myths about refugee claimants in Gretna

Seven weeks after a reception centre for asylum seekers opened in Gretna, Man., the town is hosting an event to bust myths about refugee border crossings.

"I think what a refugee is, to begin with, is a very common misconception," said Louise Simbandumwe, a former refugee from Burundi and co-chair of the Winnipeg branch of Amnesty International.

"[The idea] that there's some sort of a security risk associated with refugees, that they're a drain on the social system, and that people who arrive over the border through irregular border crossings are somehow illegal. So I would say those would be the most common misconceptions."

Simbandumwe is one of four panelists for the talk, set to start at 7 p.m. at the Gretna Prairie Centre. Other panelists include former refugee claimant Yahya Samatar, who swam across the Red River into Manitoba from North Dakota in 2015, another former refugee claimant and an immigration lawyer.

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Many people don't understand the legal protections and rights extended to asylum seekers who cross the border irregularly, Simbandumwe said.

"You're exercising your rights, and it would be illegal for the government of Canada to prosecute people in any way," she said.

"Like, we have an obligation to hear their refugee claim, determine whether or not they're at risk if they get returned back to their home country, and if they are then we have an obligation to allow them to stay."

Simbanduwe said confusion also stems from the fact some asylum seekers who come into Manitoba from the U.S. have been living stateside for some time before coming into Canada.

"The situation in the States in terms of refugee protection is highly problematic and recent events make it even more so," she said.

Simbanduwe said she thinks the key to correcting misconceptions is by putting a human face on refugees' stories.

"I would say by humanizing it, by actually telling the stories behind all of the headlines," she said.

"Because I think it's very easy for people to form hostile opinions if they don't know anybody that's ever been in that situation, if they don't hear the backstory."