GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan man has reportedly kayaked across the Detroit River and illegally crossed into Canada to claim asylum.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 51-year-old Dan Livers made the cross on Aug. 5, landing about 7 miles south of the Ambassador Bridge in LaSalle. He told the news outlet that he landed, went to a nearby Tim Hortons for some coffee, then turned himself over to local police, who handed him off to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
In an interview with the CBC, Livers said he feared for his life after criticizing a local nonprofit group that has connections with the state government. He did not clarify where he lived in West Michigan.
“I remember East Germany when I was a kid,” Livers told the CBC. “Nobody came through Checkpoint Charlie and I wasn’t gonna run the gauntlet of ICE, sheriff’s department, state police, whatever.”
Eddie Kadri, an immigration lawyer from Windsor, told the CBC that Livers’ chance of success is low.
“Under Canadian law, the legal requirements to be met in order for a claimant to be found a refugee or a person in need of protection is one that would be quite difficult for an American citizen to meet, if not impossible,” Kadri said.
However, Livers will likely spend plenty of time in Canada. The CBC says government agencies are working through a backlog of cases and it may be months or even years before his claim is decided.
Livers is reportedly staying at a mission in downtown Windsor while he waits.
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