Bangladeshi man in Canada says he entered US by mistake. (Photo: The Canadian Press)
Mahin Shahriar, a Bangladeshi man seeking asylum in Canada, has been arrested by the ICE in Buffalo after he was found in the US illegally, though he said he crossed the border by mistake. Canadian authorities said they won’t take him back, the Canadian Press reported. Shahriar said he was asked by a friend to reach a location as he was suffering from depression and wanted some time out of his home. But the location was near the border, on US soil. Shahriar said he has been in Canada since 2019 and worked as an Uber driver to support his family in Canada, comprising his mother, also a refugee, and his sister who is attending school in Canada full-time. Shahriar said he wanted to spend some time alone and a friend offered a place. The place was close to the Canada-US border, Shahriar found out as he was following the instructions of his friend over a phone call. “Then I found myself in the US. It was not my intention,” he said. When Shahriar understood that he was in the US, he approached the border patrol officers to explain his situation but he was taken into custody.
Bangladesh, Canada or US: Where will Shahriar go?
ICE reportedly told Shahriar’s lawyer Washim Ahmed that they won’t compel Canada to accept Shahriar. They can’t deport Shahriar to Bangladesh as they don’t have his travel documents. Also, Shahriar is at risk of torture and detention if he returns to Bangladesh. Ahmed said he is working to schedule an urgent Federal Court hearing to press the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) to accept Shahriar’s transfer to Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.“Regardless of what status he may have had prior to leaving Canada, he was a resident of Canada,” Ahmed said. “He was the resident of Canada and he had his first blood family member in Canada, his sister and his mother. Both of them are maintaining valid legal status.”Shahriar signed US immigration documents on September 24, saying he is not seeking protection in the U.S. due to his family being approved for asylum in Canada and his own pending asylum application.
