General

PM vetoes proposal to detain ‘mass arrival’ asylum seekers

Harper says focus should be on fighting crime and clamping down on traffickers

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vetoed a proposal to add a new category of “mass arrival” asylum seekers who could be held in detention for up to two weeks while authorities run background checks. Harper has ordered ministers and officials to instead seek out the ringleaders of human smuggling. Harper has put the issue in the hands of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, indicating that the problem is seen as a criminal matter, not an immigration matter.

Globe and Mail

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