Hard issues confront ‘sanctuary city’ policy

Hard issues confront ‘sanctuary city’ policy

By Beatrice S. Paez

200,000 TO 500,000 UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS

Immigration debates can turn sour, spark heated exchanges and ultimately lead to a political deadlock with no relief in sight.

But months of grassroots mobilization clinched a win for non-status immigrants in the ongoing effort to cement Toronto’s status as the country’s first sanctuary city.

Last February, City Council adopted a motion by a victory of 37 to 3, in favour of securing access to municipal services for all Torontonians, notwithstanding a lack of proof of residence status.

The overwhelming support received is reflective of Toronto’s changing demographic face, as a city of new immigrants, said Navjeet Sidhu, a researcher and social policy analyst at Social Planning Toronto.

The motion extends the city’s previous commitment, first made in 2007 and refreshes its mandate to assess and identify opportunities to improve accessibility without fear of being handed over to immigration authorities.

It also takes aim at the federal government, imploring it to implement a regularization program that would confer status on undocumented immigrants. Federal policy, some argue, has created an underclass of workers that are vulnerable to labour exploitation and abuse.

“People recognize that current federal policies are really putting newcomers in a precarious position by focusing more on temporary work permits and making it harder for people to obtain permanent residency status,” Sidhu told The Philippine Reporter. “The shift in federal policy is really to create this population of disposable workforce, we’re not really investing in family reunification or assisting refugees.”

The number of undocumented migrants is difficult to pin, with estimates ranging from 200,000 to 500,000. Most entered the country legally, but have either failed to achieve refugee standing or have lost their temporary work permit.

FLOR DANDAL, Kababayan

One instance would be a caregiver whose employment contract has expired because of a breakdown in their relations, Sorio cited. His advice is to refer them to services they can avail of without fear and to find the means to restore their status.

Critics argue that this policy flouts the established immigration process, and is an affront to others that have fallen in line for the opportunity to move to Canada. In a press release, the Centre for Immigration Policy argued, “the policy is an insult to every immigrant who played by the rules to get into the country and to every immigrant who is waiting to enter this country legally.”

Under the policy, city-funded services and programs, including schools, recreational activities, public health, food banks and shelters, is open to everyone in need.

But not all services come without a price attached.

Emergency health services require surrendering your OHIP or a fee is charged otherwise. Tight funding can sometimes mean paying a small fee for counseling services. Fees can be waived under certain financial circumstances.

Policy advocates argue that working non-status immigrants are indirectly contributing to the public coffers. “Most of them are working, are paying taxes just by buying goods and utilizing services for which they pay for,” said Chris Sorio, of Migrante Toronto. “What is worrisome is the discrepancy between policy and how [it] is implemented.”

Inconsistent policy implementation has cropped up as a concern for the Solidarity City Network, a spectrum of organizations, which includes Social

Planning Toronto, leading the sanctuary city campaign. Recommendations to train front-line staff on the rights of undocumented residents were also embraced in the motion.

The shift in the approach to the delivery of services, from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to “Access Without Fear,” is perceived as a way to better assess the needs of the population.

Depending on the service provider, front-line workers will ask people to disclose their standing to determine what type of guidance is needed, not for the purposes of recording confidential information. “We never turn people away,” said Flor Dandal, the Executive Director of Kababyan Community Centre. “We need to know because there is a [specific] counselor we can send them to.”

Kababayan’s different funding strains allow it to take on non-status clients using municipal resources. The centre provides Tagalog services, along with Hindi, Uru and Nepali. Dandal noted that one of the counsellors operates out of the Toronto Public Library, and clients are able to approach without presenting their papers.

CHRIS SORIO, Migrante

Though they shouldn’t be afraid of using city services, many live in constant fear of deportation or detention, said Sorio. “[Sanctuary city] still does not give them the status that they want,” he added.

“Health services, like community health centres are usually very open to people who don’t have papers, but often there’s long waiting lines, and they would have to pay out of their pockets,” said Sidhu.

The next steps would be to lobby the provincial government, Sidhu related, to open up social assistance, other health services and hopefully one day, higher education.

For a list of services that are open to everyone living in Toronto, please consult Social Planning Toronto’s 2010 resource guide.
http://www.socialplanningtoronto.org/news/translations-of-toronto-community-resource-guide-for-non-status-immigrants-–-2010-edition-now-available-for-download/