This story is pretty intense.
After a treacherous and exhausting journey, 24-year-old Ghanaian asylum seeker Seidu Mohammed says he’s finally found a place he can call home.
Mohammed is bisexual. His story beings back in 2014, when he was outed during soccer training camp after his team manager walked in on him with another man. After being disowned by his family, Mohammed fled Ghana for the U.S. in 2015.
“It’s illegal to be gay in Ghana,” explains his attorney, Bashir Khan. “It’s a crime.”
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After coming to the U.S., Mohammed applied for refugee status, but his visa expired before everything could be sorted out. When he tried to renew it, he was denied because he couldn’t afford the bond.
Then Donald Trump became president.
Mohammed didn’t want to risk being deported back to Ghana, where he could be jailed, tortured, or even killed for being bisexual, so last Christmas, he did what thousands of others have been doing since Trump took office: he fled to Canada and applied for refugee status there.
According to CBC News, an estimated 2,000 people have fled from the U.S. to Canada since January 2017, with the majority of them crossing int0 Manitoba or Quebec.
Mohammed’s journey was especially treacherous. He and two others took a bus to Grand Forks, North Dakota on December 24, 2016. From there, they managed to find a cab driver to drive them as close to the U.S.-Canada border as possible for $400. Then they walked through frozen fields in o-degree weather to Emerson, Minnesota.
During the trek, Mohammed became disoriented and suffered severe frostbite. As a result, he lost all of his fingers. A doctor offered to use some of his toes to replace the fingers, but Mohammed declined, fearing it might ruin his ability to play soccer.
Once he made it into Canada, Mohammed filed for refugee status. During his refugee hearing, he explained to the judge judge that if he is sent back “I’m gonna be tortured or go to prison or get killed.”
Khan described Mohammed to the judge as “a real Canadian at heart.”
“He is inspired by and attracted by Canadian values, that everyone has a contribution to make in society,” Khan said.
On Wednesday, Mohammed learned that his application had been approved. He was overjoyed.
“I’m so happy,” he tells BCB. “I don’t know what to say. Now I’m home. I’m finally home now.”
h/t: CBC
Hussain-TheCanadian
Welcome to Canada Muhammad; I followed your story on CBC and im so happy that you’re safe.
1EqualityUSA
It sounds as though the problem will be solved. PBS Shields & Brooks fiercely speak of Trump. I watched this three times. wow. I’m proud of our country’s checks and balances. Great analysis. wow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrdEts4cHLc
1EqualityUSA
The title of the above youtube video is, Judy Woodruff (PBS) “Shields and Brooks on the barrage of Trump revelations.”
Will L
The US has never really been the most refugee-friendly country. (Unless it’s a government-arranged agreement to take in large groups like Vietnamese, etc.) These other people just over-stay their Visas and then have to tread water to straighten it out. I don’t know why people even try to come here first. Canada would probably be my first choice, if I had to flee.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
Am I supposed to be upset a criminal hurt himself committing further crimes?
Navalator
WOW! You are really are out of touch with humanity. What an ignorant comment.
DCguy
See, this is what the GOP with FOX News’s help has de-generated into.
The party of “Everybody else is evil” They will lie, and excuse any behavior among anybody they thing is part of their party and attack everybody else.
Funny, that Trump the same people who complain about “Criminals” defend rabidly Trump not turning over his taxes, or leaking classified information to Russia.
Oh, and by the way, we will all remember this post the next time one of you has a crying fit about how Trump is being picked on because somebody didn’t like his suit, or that it is sexist to disagree with Ivanka.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
Wow funny you think anyone that is for enforcement of American laws, the same laws every other country has on immigration, is a republican or a Trump supporter. So tell me why do you think liberalism and the democratic party support criminal behavior? Is it just because of few of you that do are are so loud?
1EqualityUSA
I would take this guy’s crimes over the crimes committed by Trump.
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Neonegro
Problem solved, let the millions of illegals make the trip to Canada.
galatians328
SO …. why
aren’t the gays, all over the US this year, turning every Pride party into a fundraiser for queer refugees?
SO …. why
aren’t the gays, all over the US this year, forgoing shares, trips, vacations at ‘gay’ beaches and resorts, and instead volunteer their vacation money and time to queer refugees?
SO …. why
aren’t the gays, all over the US this year, organizing to boycott any and all products and services from any country listed by Amnesty International as violator of gay human rights
etc
DMRX
Emerson, Manitoba — not Minnesota, you idiot Graham Gremore.