West Michigan Man Crosses To Canada By Kayak, Seeks Asylum

A man from the West Michigan area says he feared for his life and decided to kayak to Canada and seek asylum.

For hundreds of years, people from countries around the world have sought to live in America. Now, some United States citizens are doing whatever they can to leave the country.

Seek Asylum

It's baffling that things are so bad in America that some citizens are seeking other countries to live in. In all my years, I had never heard of people leaving the U.S. to become citizens or seek asylum in another country; it has always been the other way around.

Seeking asylum is different than applying for citizenship. Seeking asylum is the process of requesting protection from a foreign country because a person cannot safely return to their home country due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

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Seeking asylum is not automatic because an individual must prove their case to the authorities in the destination country, demonstrating a history of harm or a credible fear of future harm that the government of their home country either causes or is unable or unwilling to prevent.

West Michigan Man Kayaks To Canada, Seeks Asylum After Crossing

According to WOOD TV, 51-year-old Dan Livers of West Michigan kayaked across the Detroit River from Detroit to Canada to seek asylum on August 5, 2025. When Livers arrived, he went to a Tim Hortons for a cup of coffee, then went to the local police department to turn himself in.

Livers claims he fears for his life because of criticizing a local non-profit group that is connected to the state government. Livers said, "I remember East Germany when I was a kid, nobody came through Checkpoint Charlie, and I wasn't gonna run the gauntlet of ICE, sheriff's department, state police, or whatever."

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It is unclear what part of West Michigan Livers is from or the political group he fears. He will have to prove these claims to the Canadian judicial system, but being an American citizen may be impossible under Canada's laws. It may be months or years before a decision can be made.

👇BELOW: 15 Offenses That Can Keep Michiganders from Entering Canada👇