American man who kayaked to Canada says he's claimed asylum, wants to find peace

[shockedcanadian]

If Canadians were this resourceful and courageous enough, manynof us would be doing the same but headed the other way to America. The abuses Canadians experience probably far exceed what many.asylum seekers face in America. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/wind...border-detroit-river-windsor-police-1.7613658.
When an American man first set foot in Canada after paddling across the border in a kayak earlier this month, he says his first stop was none other than Tim Hortons.

"I hit the sand, drugged my 'yak up on the sand, geared up, went across the road to Timmies, had a cup of coffee [and] calmed down a little bit," Dan Livers said Monday.

The 51-year-old made headlines two weeks ago when police in LaSalle, Ont., said they found him at around 1 a.m. trying to illegally enter the country. They said they handed him over to federal authorities, but didn't release his name, and it was unclear what happened to him after that

 

[odanny]

Probably needs a mental evaluation, and possibly something more than that. In reality, he is likely not going to be taken seriously.


"I remember East Germany when I was a kid," he said. "Nobody came through Checkpoint Charlie and I wasn't gonna run the gauntlet of ICE, sheriff's department, state police, whomever."

Livers says he fears retribution after criticizing a non-profit group in Michigan that provides service dogs and works with the state government.

"It's all true. All the nonsense you hear south of the border is true," he said.

CBC News cannot verify Livers's claims. In any case, it will be up to him to prove to Canadian authorities that he has a real fear of persecution or serious harm in the U.S. and that he wouldn't be safe anywhere in the country.

He'll likely need to plead his case before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, an independent tribunal that decides whether asylum seekers can stay in the country long term.