My Take | Canadian Maga fans living in US not safe from immigration clamp
Trump’s ‘largest mass deportation operation in country’s history’ has created pervasive climate of fear – some experts have called it fascism
Call it karma for Maga. In their high-profile cases, two “Make America Great Again” Canadian supporters of Donald Trump who have lived legally – arguably – for years in the United States were respectively detained and denied re-entry by US immigration authorities.
The family of Cynthia Olivera, a 45-year-old mother of three US-born children, voted for Trump, even though it was Joe Biden’s policy that enabled her to work legally in the US while applying for permanent residency – also called a green card – after living in the country without legal status for decades.
Olivera was 10 when her parents brought her to the US from Toronto without applying for immigration, according to The Guardian newspaper. She was detained in California while being interviewed about her green card application, and is now awaiting deportation.
Her husband Francisco Olivera, a US citizen, was quoted as saying: “We feel totally blindsided. I want my vote back.” A bit late for that!
Trump’s election promise to go after dangerous violent criminals who are living illegally in the US greatly appealed to the couple.
Now, though, the vast majority of those being detained and deported – some to places such as South Sudan and El Salvador – are like Cynthia Olivera, who are neither violent, dangerous, nor criminal.
Meanwhile, last month, Chris Landry, a 46-year-old Canadian citizen and long-time US green card holder, was denied re-entry after a trip to Canada. He was allowed back in this week after a court intervention.