US woman on welfare denied entrance to Canada BECAUSE SHE'S ON WELFARE
 

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/...nt_kept_o.html

OWOSSO, Mich. -- A mid-Michigan woman says she was denied entry into Canada because she is on welfare.

Rose Kelley of Owosso says she has filed a discrimination complaint with the Canada Border Services Agency over its refusal to let her and her two children cross the border via the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron with Sarnia, Ontario.

The 25-year-old Kelley tells The Argus-Press of Owosso that she planned to visit friends and relatives when she arrived at the border May 1. She says she was told to furnish evidence of citizenship, financial support and other documentation, but was denied entry again on May 3.

Kelley says she was told she didn't make enough money and people on welfare shouldn't take vacations.

Do you think Canada Customs officers did the right thing? Should someone be denied entry into the US or Canada because they're on welfare?

Some might say yes. When you're on welfare you should have to give up certain luxuries like... taking trips to other countries to spend your welfare cheques.

Yay or nay?

Hmmmm... Must be something else behind this story.. Maybe one of the children was sick and she was trying to use our health care?

LOL.

Look... I'm all for ending this cyclical welfare state, but crossing a border to visit family or friends is not a luxury. Yeh, she doesn't "need" to do it... but we don't know the full story either. Perhaps her family paid for the trip? Perhaps she saved up a little money here and there so her kids could visit their grandparents?

Who knows. Unless Canada is deathly afraid of Americans migrating north to get more free benefits, denying someone entrance because they receive financial benefits in their home country is stretching it.

The Canadians are proving that they have more sense than we do. Why should Canada have to grant entry to a person who is not financially responsible and potentially a burden --particularly for luxury reasons --such as vacations?

I knew you would support that... it's fucking stupid.

good answer:thumbsup

For the first time in history I agree with you. never again tho

I think it is interesting that they require proof of financial support while doing border checks. We should do that on our border to the...oh, wait, our border is porous like pumice stone, it wouldn't accomplish shit because everyone is already hot-footing it across without permission

I have never heard of border guards anywhere asking for proof of financial support. Surprising...

Agreed. :thumbsup

See, this is one of those stories where you know there's more to it than what it seems.
If they asked her what work she does and she answered she's on welfare - then asked her for her permanent address and she said she didn't have one - basically, with kids in tow, she doesn't have a reason to go back. No job, no place to stay - they would think of her as a suspicious traveller. Now if she didn't know the address of where she was staying either - then all of the red flags would be blazing.

I'm sure there's more to her story than her simple 'they discrimated against me because I'm on welfare'.

Please don't add common sense to the fire. We're only looking for stupid things like "OMG I BET SHES BLACK TOO!"

Your smart-replies go noticed from here on out.

LMAO ok BradM, I'll make sure to go back into my hole ;)

It'll be interesting to hear how this evolves, but I don't see her getting far with the discrimination complaint. There's no discrimination there. There are certain rules a country has as to who is allowed an entry. It's a standard thing all over the world and it's not unusual to see a country refuse a visa or entry (if they are at the border) if they don't seem to fit the requirements for the entry.

We don't need them bums in our country :)

I don't think we are getting the full story at this point.

Their country, their rules. Doesnt matter what we think.

she should be aloud to visit friends and family. It is none of Canada's business what her financial situation is

Well although I agree with you to some extent, she is entering another country and they have their rules to follow. IF someone isn't disclosing clear information on where they are going to be staying and for how long - and they have kids with them - they have every reason to deny her. If she had left her kids at home (it would mean she'd have reason to go back). Not saying she's not worthy of living in Canada, she just needs to go through the proper procedures to do it and not just walk in as a visitor and not leave.

I agree. I don't want people on welfare coming to the US from Canada. Or Mexico.

And if she's on Welfare, how is she able to travel to Canada?

If you are on welfare you probably shouldn't take trips but then I think it's scarier that a government wants to tell people what they can and can't do.

What if she was Canadian and trying to leave to come to the US? Would it be okay for Canada to say no you can't take a vacation because you are on welfare?

Perhaps she is a poorly educated woman with 2+ children (all on her own).

She might have 2 jobs + receive welfare.

She could be a model citizen simply helping her children survive.

She just wanted to see her family maybe? WTF

Must be nice to have all that free time on her hands to pursue a discrimination case.

The rest of us who work and pay taxes wouldn't have the time for such endeavours.

I'm glad they denied her entry. Gee, are border guards actually growing a spine these days?

Hmm. I have money and I still wouldn't want to see or visit my family. I can't see why someone with no money would want to. In fact, you wouldn't be able to PAY ME in order to visit my family.

They denied someone I know with "You don't have enough money in your bank account" (because most of it was in epassporte which they wouldn't accept statements of nor would they accept any money deposited in her bank account within the last 6 months).

So apparently this isn't a one-shot deal with Canada

I think things should be put into perspective. after 9/11, the US/Canadian border and crossing became quite a bit more formalized as they always should have been. Its a very normal thing to have to show proof of income and proof you can support yourself when entering another country. It's not Canada's place to take care of you if your car breaks down. I think its a very normal thing considering what it means to be on welfare (meaning the actual income and proof the person is unemployed) to question their ability to support themself or desire to return to their country of origin.

If I announced the Canadian boarder guards that i had $0.95 net worth and no income, i think its quite normal for them to turn me away. Canada turns people away for their driving records, prior arrests and all kinds of shit. This is nothing new or different or unusual. Its only unusual to someone who doesn't travel.

no country in the world will let every person in who says " i'm here to visit friends and i have no money"

none zip nada end of story..

I'm quite well travelled in N America and this is the first I've heard of someone being turned away because they're on welfare.

Like others have said, there definitely must be more to this story. Hopefully someone will be a report on what Canada Custom's official statement about this is.

LOL some of you guys are acting like traveling to Canada is this massive pilgrimage. You realize that United States and Canada are neighbors, right? If she lives on or close to the border, which it sounds like she does, traveling to Canada is like going down to the corner store.

SHE SAID it was because she was on welfare.

i used to live on the border and went back and forth all the time. it changed a lot in recent years.

It's not unusual for a country to want to know how a person will support themselves while they are visiting. It happens much more often when travelling from CA to US than US to CA.

the U.S. does this very often too, they ask you how much money you have and how you are going to afford to eat and afford to come back, it is very common.... it is also a question they use to try to determine if someone is coming down to try to work without a visa


this is a silly story, because this has been going on for years on both sides of the Canada U.S. border

This is a situation one must accept with things like a national healthcare system, especially when neighboring countries do not have one.

I know my own father -- who is perfectly financially secure -- was told he could not buy real estate in Canada because of his age. Canada does not want elderly Americans coming over and utilizing their national healthcare system

Anyone here seen "Sicko" by Michael Moore?

no comment

I have to do this when I cross the border into
Canada. I am here on a work visa waiting for
my Permanent Resident Card.

If your entering the country they want to know
you can pay for yourself while your in the country
for more then a few days.

She was probably going for a week or more. What happens
when she gets to her families home and she
ends up running out of money? How is she going
to get home? Canada doesn't want to then
have to deal with her. Maybe she wont get back
in time and become an illegal alien.

I get told about shit like that from the border guards
every time I get pulled into immigration. I have seen
people have to get a bank receipt from the ATM to show
you have access to X amount of funds.

the corner store that charges $3 to get in the door :)

Yes, SHE said. As I said I'd be interested to hear what the Customs officer's side of the story is.

what you said

You're a tard. She went 100 miles. Since when is that a "luxury vacation"? I can go 400 miles and be in my same state I'm not counting that as "vacation". She went to fucking Canada not Florida. You know the place Canadians go on vacation.

Of course. Canada got one right.

nothing out of the ordinary

when I used to visit the US from Eastern Europe US immigration required bank account statements of support. They had to see you have enough cash in the bank before even considering you for questioning let alone granting you a visa.

Mostly so you don't become a public charge

That's fucking gay. Now I've never been to Canada and I've never heard of this. So what if I planned a vacation and then at the border I get asked to provide my financials which I wouldn't have and is frankly none of thier business. I can't get to my hotel room that I paid for already? FUCK CANADA. I don't hear the UK or Australia doing this. Maybe the US should start asking Canadians if they have money.

You guys would make a great couple as long as you promise not to breed.

I think that's awesome. The US should start doing the same thing. This place is becoming a fucking dump with all the riff raff coming in...

LMAO porous like pumice stone...

no one seems to have all the facts. who's to say her family didn't pay or the vacation? its still a free world we live in. if someone wants to spend their welfare check on a vacation that's their right. may not be smart but it is still their right.

Why is that? Why the hell should my tax dollars be spent on a vacation?

Situation aside which I have views for both sides. When did it become a free world we live in? Pretty damn sure I never got that memo.