'I'm finally home': Frostbitten asylum seeker wins case to stay in Canada

A Ghanaian asylum seeker who lost his fingers to frostbite while crossing into Manitoba from the U.S. on Christmas Eve has won his case to stay.

"I'm so happy. I don't know what to say. Now I'm home, I'm finally home now," saidSeidu Mohammed, who learned Wednesday night that the Immigration and Refugee Board had accepted his claim.

His immigrationlawyer,Bashir Khan, saidMohammedcried with joy at the news.

"Oh, he was in tears, he was in tears, he really was. He is overjoyed, ecstatic. I mean it's a life-altering moment for this young man."

Mohammed, 24, said he faces an uphill battle, learning to cope without anyfingers, buthe is determined to make a life in Winnipeg.

"This is the city I want to stay in. There are a lot of good people here," he said.

Khan describedMohammed as "areal Canadian at heart."

"He is inspired by and attracted by Canadian values, that everyone has a contribution to make in society," Khan said.

"I expect good things from him."

Mohammed fled Ghana for the United States in 2015 fearing for that his sexual orientation would put his life in danger.

He says he was outed as a bisexual man during soccer training camp in Brazil in 2014 after the team manager found him with a same-sex partner.

In its 2016-17 report,Amnesty Internationalfound lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and(LGBT)people in Ghana face discrimination, violence and police harassment.

"It's illegal to be gay in Ghana. It's a crime," said Khan, noting the refugee board "acknowledged him as a person in need of protection."

Shortly after he arrived in Manitoba, Mohammed told CBC thathis father, a strict Muslim, disowned him. Mohammed worried he wouldbe persecuted or worse if he was forced to return to Ghana, and he didn't believe the government or police wouldprotect him.

"I'm scared to go back to my country," he told CBC on Thursday.

During his refugee hearing, Mohammed to the judgethat if he issent back "I'm gonna be tortured or go to prison or get killed."

Mohammed had applied for a refugee claim in the United States when his visa ran out, but it was denied because he couldn't pay the required bond.

Fearing U.S. President Donald Trump'simmigration crackdown, Mohammed made the decision like hundreds of others in the past year to sneak into Canada and apply for refugee status.

Since January,2,000 people havemade that samejourney, with the majority crossing the border in Manitoba orQuebec.

• 'We are part of the Canadian people'
• 'They almost froze to death'

While planning his crossing, Mohammedmet another man, Razak Iyal, 35, who had the same idea.

The two of them took a bus to Grand Forks, N.D., then flagged a cab and spent $400 for a ride to a spot nearthe U.S.-Canada border on Dec. 24. From there, theymade the long walk into Emerson, Man.

It was Christmas Eve, and the underdressed men shambled through frozen fields in a temperature that hoveredaround the 18 C mark,but with a wind chill that made it feel more like30.

They were disoriented and wondering where the border immigration point was when atruck driver noticed them, stopped andcalled911 to get them medical help.

• Frostbitten refugee will lose fingers, toe after 7-hour trek
• The impact of Trump's immigration ban
• Asylum seekers learning to cope without hands

The local Ghanaiancommunity in Manitoba, as well as resettlement agencies,rallied around the men and raised fundson their behalf.

Mohammed said doctors could have usedsome of his toes to replacethem, but he declined because he wantedto still be able to play soccer.

Iyal, whose refugee hearingis next month,was also badly frostbitten. All his fingers were amputated except for his thumbs.

Despite everything he endured, and has yet to overcome,Mohammed said he regrets nothing.

"It's worth it for me to be here because this is a good country," he said.

Frostbitten border-crosser will stay in Canada

7 years ago

Duration 1:52

Seidu Mohammed lost his fingers to frostbite when he walked across the border into Manitoba last December, and now the Immigration and Refugee Board has ruled he can stay in Canada as a refugee