Pregnant migrant’s death while crossing Canada-US border prompts outrage
Migrant advocates demand safer Canada-US border policies after Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores’ death | Photo from @ssf.sab/Instagram
Another tragedy at the Canada–United States border prompts outrage and demands for safer border policies.
Migrant justice network Solidarity Across Borders led a tribute honoring 33-year-old Mexican migrant Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores on Jan. 14 at the Place de la Gare Jean-Talon, Métro Parc in Montreal.
Vasquez-Flores’ body was found in a river close to Roxham Road near the Canada-US border on Dec. 14. She was five months pregnant and attempting to join her husband in the US.
“[Vasquez-Flores knew about] the criminal gangs on the border between Mexico and the United States,” said Solidarity Across Borders spokesperson Hady Anne. “For her, it was safer to fly to Montreal and take her chance crossing the border from Canada.”
Vasquez-Flores reportedly arrived in Quebec and allegedly paid Quebec-based Colombian Jhader Augusto Uribe-Tobar to help her cross the border. However, she was allegedly put on a boat and left to her own devices. Uribe-Tobar was arrested in December and charged with three smuggling-related counts.
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“Once again, we bear witness to the fact that government attempts to prevent people from crossing borders do not stop them from traveling, but only force them to take more dangerous routes,” Solidarity Across Borders writes in a separate statement.
“Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores died as a result of the racist choices made by the immigration system—just like Fritznel Richard, José Leos Cervantes, the Chaudhari family, the Iordache family and far too many others. Borders kill! We must condemn the violence of the immigration system!”
Migrant rights advocates who attended the tribute to Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores also called for justice for migrants who also passed away trying to cross borders in other parts of the world
US border authorities have reported 189,402 migrant encounters on the northern border alone in 2023—a nearly sevenfold increase from 2021. Following the 2023 amendment of the Safe Third Country Agreement, which governs border crossings between Canada and the US, authorities have recorded an uptick in unofficial crossings.
Migrant rights advocates who attended the tribute to Vasquez-Flores also called for justice for migrants who also passed away trying to cross borders in other parts of the world.
“From the Palestinians who are dying in Gaza today to Ana Karen [Vasquez-]Flores, [we affirm that] our solidarity from Palestine to here is to say: No more borders. No more walls. The freedom to stay. The freedom to move. And that’s the world we want and her passing won’t be in vain,” one activist said in solidarity in a footage posted by Solidarity Across Borders.
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