Robert Apgar-Taylor vividly remembers the day he and his husband, Robert Taylor, crossed the border into Canada, fleeing the altering political local weather of their native United States in hopes of a safer life in Canada.
“We took an image on the border. It was winter,” mentioned Apgar-Taylor. “We wore our plaid shirts and hats, and confirmed our immigration papers with the transferring truck behind us. We had been so excited.”
To keep away from confusion, this story refers to Apbar-Taylor’s husband as Rob.
The couple made their transfer to Canada in December 2022.
Apgar-Taylor, a former reverend on the United Church of Christ, had simply been appointed to a United Church of Canada parish in London, Ont.
“When Trump was first elected [in 2016], we considered leaving, however we thought we had been overreacting and issues could not get that unhealthy,” he mentioned. “However issues turned out to be simply as unhealthy as we imagined.”
Since Trump started his first time period in 2017, the couple watched with anguish and have become more and more uncomfortable with the altering political local weather of their nation.
First, there was the removal of a page devoted to the 2SLGBTQ+ group from the White Home web site, simply hours after Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
In 2020, there was the violent repression of anti-racism protesters with rubber bullets and tear fuel outdoors the president’s residence. The attack on the U.S. Capitol got here a yr later.
“I could not consider that the Structure and the safeguards of civil society had been being dismantled and that individuals had been blindly following [Donald Trump],” recollects Rob, a Washington, D.C., police officer on the time.
As an overtly homosexual pastor, Apgar-Taylor mentioned he acquired a loss of life risk whereas working in Maryland.
However the remaining blow for the couple got here in 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Courtroom struck down Roe v. Wade, which assured the suitable to abortion nationwide.
“Fifteen seconds after listening to the information, Rob checked out me and mentioned, ‘That is sufficient. We’ve to go,'” Apgar-Taylor recalled.
Dozens of requests about resettling
The 2 aren’t the one ones who’ve seemed to maneuver to Canada since Trump’s arrival in politics.
Within the two weeks following Trump’s re-election in November, the couple acquired about 30 messages from People asking how you can settle north of the border.
The United Church of Canada, for its half, studies it has been contacted by about 20 American clergy members fascinated by acquiring positions in Canada since January. Beforehand, it acquired solely three to 5 such requests yearly.
A couple of kilometres from the parish the place Apgar-Taylor now works, one other American oversees Sunday mass: Rev. Joshua Lawrence at First-St. Andrew’s United Church, additionally in London.
The civil rights activist from Texas moved to the southwestern Ontario metropolis together with his spouse, Amariee Collins — who’s of African American descent — and their younger son 4 years in the past. They made the transfer to flee what the pastor sees as a rise in racism and intolerance for the reason that rise of the Trump-popularized Make America Nice Once more (MAGA) motion.
“There have been acts of violence,” Lawrence mentioned. “Black church buildings have been burned within the South. The problems of slavery, the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan … white terrorism. All of these items have begun to resurface in different kinds.”
The reverend, who believed he was ministering in a progressive parish, rapidly noticed new tensions floor inside his personal congregation.
He mentioned he acquired an e-mail suggesting that his spouse go away the parish. Then, he was proven the door as a result of his values had been deemed too liberal.
He added that in his former parish, overtly displaying his assist for the 2SLGBTQ+ group and the struggle towards racism, as he does now in Canada, would have been dangerous.
“I typically puzzled if I might do it with out risking threats or the church being attacked,” he lamented.
As a result of the open carrying of firearms in public locations reminiscent of church buildings will be carried out legally in Texas, Lawrence turned anxious in regards to the potential for violence.
“We packed our issues and left, maybe sooner than obligatory, however we had been scared and did not know what would possibly occur.”
Changing into Canadian not so easy
Whereas Apgar-Taylor and Lawrence are actually having fun with their new Canadian refuge with their households, the problem of acquiring Canadian everlasting residency is way from over.
Each males have work visas linked to the United Church of Canada. They anticipated to acquire everlasting residency after six months to 2 years in Canada, however Ottawa’s latest reducing of everlasting immigration thresholds thwarted their plans.
For instance, Apgar-Taylor and Rob nonetheless have not been capable of turn into householders as a result of till they get hold of everlasting residency, they must pay a 25 per cent overseas patrons’ tax in Ontario.
The state of affairs pressured Apgar-Taylor to postpone his prostate most cancers surgical procedure for 3 months, when the couple needed to urgently transfer out of their rented condo.
“I could not have surgical procedure and transfer on the similar time,” he mentioned. “I used to be devastated.”
As for his husband, he had to surrender his profession in legislation enforcement and now works nights in a warehouse.
Lawrence and his spouse are sometimes pressured to stay far aside for the reason that educated midwife and ultrasound technician nonetheless hasn’t been capable of get the {qualifications} to work in her subject in Ontario.
She spends a number of weeks a month in america so she will earn a residing.
“There have been occasions once we puzzled if we had made the suitable determination,” mentioned Lawrence.
In an emailed assertion, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that immigration processing occasions “rely on numerous elements, together with immigration targets, file complexity, safety checks and the timeliness of candidates responding to requests for info.”
‘The door is closed’
Immigration lawyer Greg Willoughby has heard related tales from U.S.-born shoppers who face obstacles attempting to immigrate to Canada.
From his small workplace in downtown London, he commonly will get calls from People, together with mother and father of transgender youngsters, who search to flee the U.S. administration’s insurance policies.
“When Trump was first elected, I acquired calls from folks asking if there have been particular immigration choices for People, and the reply is ‘no,'” mentioned Willoughby.
He pointed out that People should qualify by a factors system arrange by Ottawa to evaluate them as potential immigration candidates.
“For those who’re not a teen in your 20s or 30s with a level from a Canadian school or college and some years of labor expertise in Canada, you will not have the ability to get sufficient factors.”
He famous a rising variety of People are turning to humanitarian and compassionate purposes, although their probabilities of success are slim.
“It isn’t the Vietnam Conflict anymore, and we now not welcome draft dodgers. It is the identical for transgender folks. The door is closed.”
‘A recovering American’
Regardless of the obstacles, Apgar-Taylor, Rob and Lawrence stay hopeful of their future in Canada.
“My identify is Rob, and I am a recovering American,” is how Apgar-Taylor generally likes to open his sermons.
Within the basement of their dwelling, the reverend and his husband ponder the pictures of their youngsters and grandchildren in a household tree painted on the wall.
“We miss them each day,” mentioned Robert.
Each really feel that returning to america just isn’t an possibility for them.
The yr Apgar-Taylor and Rob moved to London, two of their buddies had been assaulted again dwelling in separate assaults due to their sexual and gender identities.
“You do not notice how a lot you are holding your breath till you do not have to carry it anymore. That is the way it feels to be in Canada,” mentioned Apgar-Taylor.
