CALGARY — A U.S.-based group helping Jewish Canadian families relocate is calling on the Trump administration to consider creating a refugee or asylum pathway for those who say they feel threatened by rising "antisemitism" in Canada.Joe Roberts, executive director of Jewish Tulsa, a group that helps Jewish people move to Oklahoma City, said some Canadian Jewish families are exploring options to leave the country following an increase in reported "antisemitic" incidents.Roberts, who previously lived in Ontario, said to The Canadian Press that his family moved to Tulsa after concerns about "antisemitic" incidents increased following the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza.His family relocated to Tulsa after being approached by a group called Tulsa Tomorrow, which helps Jewish families interested in moving to the city. The organization operates a program specifically aimed at assisting Canadians..“With the urgency around the challenges and the inaction we see in Canada, an asylum pathway makes sense,” Roberts said to The Canadian Press.''Many Canadians who have already relocated to the United States have done so through existing immigration pathways, including work permits under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), or through family connections that allow them to obtain U.S. citizenship,''Roberts said the group has received inquiries from between 800 and 900 Jewish Canadian families, representing approximately 2,000 people, who are considering leaving Canada.Under U.S. and international refugee law, applicants generally must prove they face a well-founded fear of persecution and that their home government is unable or unwilling to provide adequate protection.However, the United States is also facing concerns over "antisemitism." The American Jewish Committee’s 2025 report described the period as one of the most violent years against American Jews in recent history and reported high levels of "antisemitic" experiences among younger Jewish Americans.Roberts said he believes the United States should provide a pathway for Jewish Canadians who can demonstrate they are at risk, while adding that he would prefer to see Canadian authorities take stronger action to address "antisemitism.".The Trump administration has tightened asylum policies in recent years but created an exception for a resettlement program for Afrikaners from South Africa, a move that has drawn controversy.Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for combating "antisemitism", said the U.S. government is not currently considering a resettlement program for Canadian Jews.“We would hope that the (Canadian) government would step in to make sure that their Canadian Jewish citizens feel safe in Canada,” Kaploun said during a July visit to Ottawa.The issue comes as some Jewish Canadians, including Montreal cardiac surgeon Emmanuel Moss, have publicly announced plans to leave Canada, citing concerns over antisemitism and other issues.As of now, no formal U.S. refugee pathway currently exists for Jewish Canadians, and officials have not indicated plans to create one.
