The Canadian Jewish Congress today asked the Minister of Manpower and Immigration, Bud Cullen, to deny admission to Archbishop Valerian Trifa who reportedly seeks entry to Canada because he is under investigation in the United States.
Alan Rose, executive director of the CJC, told the Minister that the CJC was concerned about the number of suspected war criminals already allegedly residing in Canada. He urged that Trifa, who was a member of the fascist Iron Guard in Rumania during World War II and held responsible for the massacre of Rumanian Jews, be kept out of Canada, should he apply. A CJC spokesman said that while the reports were not confirmed, they were firm enough to lead Rose to make his request to Cullen. Trifa, according to the reports, hopes to enter Canada to settle there.
Trifa has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with having lied about his membership in the Iron Guard when he applied for U.S. citizenship after World War II. Trifa lives in Grass Lake, Michigan.
TRIFA GIVES DEPOSITION
It was reported today by the Jewish News in Michigan that Trifa gave a deposition in the case in a private session yesterday before U.S. attorneys in Detroit, his defense attorneys and a federal court stenographer. The deposition, which had been sought since last summer, had been delayed by the illness of Trifa’s attorney and a report that Trifa had suffered a slight stroke.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Frederick van Tiem said he was now compiling a list of witnesses, including one in Israel, that he wants to query. He could not estimate the time needed to query the witnesses, although he recently predicted that it would take more than a year before the case would come to trial.
After the depositions are gathered, van Tiem will present the evidence to U.S. District Judge Cornelia Kennedy who will decide if the case should be tried. The charges were filed in 1974 after a 25-year battle to have INS press charges against Trifa.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
