Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell is planning to introduce a bill that would grant temporary asylum to the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” truckers.
For the last month, Canadians have been protesting the country’s vaccine mandate for truckers which has caused the Prime Minister to retaliate.
Newsmax reports:
Canadian police have started to arrest protestors in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. Approximately 200 have been arrested as of Sunday morning, with 57 vehicles having been towed so far. Townhall reports that among those arrested, 103 have been charged, mostly for mischief and obstruction.
On Twitter, Herrell said Saturday that “[J]ust as we provide asylum for political prisoners, we should do the same for truckers who have been subjected to violence, had their property confiscated, and their bank accounts frozen by a government that is quickly becoming the embarrassment of the free world. I am introducing legislation that would temporarily grant asylum to innocent Canadian protesters who are being persecuted by their own government. We cannot be silent as our neighbors to the north are treated so badly.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked Canada’s Emergencies Act in order to stop the protests last week.
Jason Kenney, the Premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, said Saturday that he was suing the Canadian government and Trudeau for invoking the Emergencies Act, calling it “unjustified in the circumstances.”
Kenney told the Edmonton Sun that “the Emergencies Act was designed to come into effect at the failure of the state … however, there is no insurrection or coup.” Kenney also condemned using the Emergencies Act to “seize and freeze” the assets of “people whose opinions they disagree with,” saying that the parts of the act regarding banking were “designed to interrupt terrorism financing.”
Over the weekend, police broke up the Freedom Convoy protest which has converged in Ottowa. However, now the convoy has turned it’s sights on the U.S.-the Nation’s capital to be exact.
Washington, D.C. officials are reportedly preparing for thousands of truckers to possibly descend on the city and cause major infrastructure issues.
Fox News reports:
State and local law enforcement have called in support from the National Guard In anticipation of the massive convoy in the D.C. area between late February and late March, a government source told Fox News on Tuesday.
The truckers have requested a permit from the National Park Service to allow 1,000 to 3,000 to gather in the nation’s capital, according to the source. National guard troops will reportedly deploy beginning Tuesday and remain in place until the end of March.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the department has received a request for assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
“Those agencies have asked for National Guard personnel to provide support at traffic control points in and around the District to help the USCP and DC government address potential challenges stemming from possible disruptions at key traffic arteries,” Kirby said. “No decisions have been made yet to approve these requests.”
According to sources, state and local law enforcement have so far been unable to secure the necessary number of tow trucks to clear the anticipated tractor-trailers so the National Guard will create strategic road blocks throughout D.C.
