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Global News
14 hours ago
- Global News
32 guns seized as part of $7M Ontario fentanyl bust, most weapons came from U.S.
Police in York Region say they arrested 23 people from across southern Ontario while seizing more than $7 million in fentanyl after a seven-month investigation dubbed Project Chatter. Police also seized 32 guns as well as a number of other items, with a majority of those weapons coming from the U.S. 'Thirty-two illegal firearms that were taken off the streets,' he said. 'And of the 24 that we've received tracing information back so far, 23 come back as originating in the United States of America, with one from here in Canada.' The investigation began in October 2024, when officers began investigating the activities surrounding a 31-year-old man from Richmond Hill who was allegedly a 'key player' in drug trafficking throughout the GTA, according to Det. Sgt. Sean Whittaker. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'As the investigation progressed, officers uncovered a sophisticated criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of both raw and street-ready fentanyl, as well as firearms, across the region,' Whittaker told reporters Wednesday. Story continues below advertisement 'Recognizing the threat that this posed, an internal task force dubbed Project Chatter was established to aggressively target and dismantle this network. 'Project Chatter uncovered a network that was highly organized and well-equipped.' Whittaker said that the investigation revealed 'key suppliers, distribution hubs, and locations believed to be cooking or cutting fentanyl for street-level sale.' He noted that most of the operations were in Richmond Hill, but there were other locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area as well. This investigation led to 200 officers raiding 15 homes on May 4 where they seized 32 illegal firearms and a large quantity of drugs, including over 700,000 doses of fentanyl with a street value of over $7 million, and seized more than $130,000 in Canadian currency and $18,000 in American currency. Since then, police say they have laid more than more than 300 drug, weapon and organized crime charges against 23 people from across the GTA, Brantford and Niagara Falls. 3:02 'Canada must be secure': New border bill gives new powers to CBSA officers, police, postal workers, Health Canada
Ottawa Citizen
18 hours ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants is sending a surge of refugees to Canada
As fears of refugee deportation mount in the United States, a surge of asylum seekers is turning to Canada — only to find a border that is getting increasingly hard to cross. Article content The number of refugee seekers processed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shot up by 87 per cent between January and April. Article content Article content In April, 494 ineligible refugee claimants from the U.S. were turned back at the Canadian border under the Safe Third Country Agreement, which bars most people from seeking asylum in Canada at the border. That's up from 280 in January — a 76 per cent increase. Article content Article content Growing refugee traffic at the Canadian border this year has emerged amid a looming clampdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. that experts say could trigger a flood of asylum seekers to Canada. Article content Article content A controversial U.S. move in late March that paused protected legal status for refugees from Colombia, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) is likely behind the spike, say immigration lawyers and researchers. Article content 'That is what we would see as a major indicator towards potential migration flows northbound,' said Dan Anson, director general of intelligence and investigations for the CBSA. 'Those… main groups… are likely going to be targets of potential enforcement and removal operations (in the U.S.)' Article content Toronto immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo said his office has seen around a 200-per-cent jump in inquiries in the past week. Article content 'Any time you have a dramatic announcement, it does prompt individuals to move,' he said. Article content Article content On Tuesday, the federal government responded to 'rising migration' concerns with new measures it says will make the country's immigration and asylum systems 'more responsive to new and developing pressures.' Article content Among those steps will be new ineligibility rules to 'protect the asylum system against sudden increases.' Article content The CHNV parole program in the U.S. initially offered 'parole' to certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to stay in the U.S. for two years. The Trump administration paused those protections on March 25, 2025. Article content The following month, asylum claims processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) rose to 4,560, up from 2,940.
Vancouver Sun
18 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants is sending a surge of refugees to Canada
As fears of refugee deportation mount in the United States, a surge of asylum seekers is turning to Canada — only to find a border that is getting increasingly hard to cross. The number of refugee seekers processed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shot up by 87 per cent between January and April. In April, 494 ineligible refugee claimants from the U.S. were turned back at the Canadian border under the Safe Third Country Agreement, which bars most people from seeking asylum in Canada at the border. That's up from 280 in January — a 76 per cent increase. Growing refugee traffic at the Canadian border this year has emerged amid a looming clampdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. that experts say could trigger a flood of asylum seekers to Canada. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. A controversial U.S. move in late March that paused protected legal status for refugees from Colombia, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) is likely behind the spike, say immigration lawyers and researchers. 'That is what we would see as a major indicator towards potential migration flows northbound,' said Dan Anson, director general of intelligence and investigations for the CBSA. 'Those… main groups… are likely going to be targets of potential enforcement and removal operations (in the U.S.)' Toronto immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo said his office has seen around a 200-per-cent jump in inquiries in the past week. 'Any time you have a dramatic announcement, it does prompt individuals to move,' he said. On Tuesday, the federal government responded to 'rising migration' concerns with new measures it says will make the country's immigration and asylum systems 'more responsive to new and developing pressures.' Among those steps will be new ineligibility rules to 'protect the asylum system against sudden increases.' The CHNV parole program in the U.S. initially offered 'parole' to certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to stay in the U.S. for two years. The Trump administration paused those protections on March 25, 2025. The following month, asylum claims processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) rose to 4,560, up from 2,940. A federal judge blocked Trump's order in April. CBSA data released to the Investigative Journalism Bureau on Tuesday shows a drop in refugee removals at the border in May following that court order. But the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the ruling on May 30, triggering renewed fears of deportation for migrants in legal limbo. An estimated 532,000 refugees from the four countries are now vulnerable to removal from the U.S while the back-and-forth court battle continues. Rosanna Berardi, an immigration lawyer in Buffalo, N.Y., called the shifting legal restrictions in the U.S. for refugees an 'emotional rollercoaster.' 'A lot of individuals will have to leave quickly and go elsewhere,' she said. 'Canada would be the easiest place to go with respect to logistics.' At some point, there's going to be people so desperate that it doesn't matter what kind of laws we have But those who do attempt to flee the U.S. clampdown by coming to Canada may face long odds of getting in. Under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement, refugees must claim asylum in the first country they land in. Refugees coming from the U.S. cannot claim asylum in Canada unless they have close family in the country. 'They can attempt to come into Canada, but chances are they're gonna be returned to the U.S. And with that, they'll probably be held at the border,' said Evan Green, an immigration lawyer in Toronto. But many refugees either don't know about those restrictions or are too afraid to care, said Lori Wilkinson, a professor at the University of Manitoba specializing in refugee resettlement. 'At some point, there's going to be people so desperate that it doesn't matter what kind of laws we have,' she said. 'With Nicaragua, I think people don't understand there's been a many years-long drought and you either starve and die, or you pick up everything and walk through the Darien Gap and take your chances.' Kate Swanson, an immigration expert and international development professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said Haitians in the U.S. are heavily incentivized to come north given the long-standing humanitarian crisis and armed gang violence at home. 'Many of these individuals will look north for safety rather than face deportation back to the very conditions they fled,' she said. 'Clearly, the urgent humanitarian crisis persists, and I imagine that many of these individuals, especially those with family in Canada, will try to find safety here.' An economic crisis in Cuba has been worsened by natural disasters and blackouts that have at times left millions without power. In Venezuela, political repression and economic collapse have led to a refugee crisis. The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health is a collaborative investigative newsroom supported by Postmedia that partners with academics, researchers and journalists while training the next generation of investigative reporters. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Edmonton Journal
18 hours ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants is sending a surge of refugees to Canada
Article content As fears of refugee deportation mount in the United States, a surge of asylum seekers is turning to Canada — only to find a border that is getting increasingly hard to cross. The number of refugee seekers processed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shot up by 87 per cent between January and April. In April, 494 ineligible refugee claimants from the U.S. were turned back at the Canadian border under the Safe Third Country Agreement, which bars most people from seeking asylum in Canada at the border. That's up from 280 in January — a 76 per cent increase.
National Post
18 hours ago
- General
- National Post
U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants is sending a surge of refugees to Canada
As fears of refugee deportation mount in the United States, a surge of asylum seekers is turning to Canada — only to find a border that is getting increasingly hard to cross. Article content The number of refugee seekers processed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shot up by 87 per cent between January and April. Article content In April, 494 ineligible refugee claimants from the U.S. were turned back at the Canadian border under the Safe Third Country Agreement, which bars most people from seeking asylum in Canada at the border. That's up from 280 in January — a 76 per cent increase. Article content Article content Growing refugee traffic at the Canadian border this year has emerged amid a looming clampdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. that experts say could trigger a flood of asylum seekers to Canada. Article content Article content A controversial U.S. move in late March that paused protected legal status for refugees from Colombia, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) is likely behind the spike, say immigration lawyers and researchers. Article content 'That is what we would see as a major indicator towards potential migration flows northbound,' said Dan Anson, director general of intelligence and investigations for the CBSA. 'Those… main groups… are likely going to be targets of potential enforcement and removal operations (in the U.S.)' Article content Toronto immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo said his office has seen around a 200-per-cent jump in inquiries in the past week. Article content 'Any time you have a dramatic announcement, it does prompt individuals to move,' he said. Article content On Tuesday, the federal government responded to 'rising migration' concerns with new measures it says will make the country's immigration and asylum systems 'more responsive to new and developing pressures.' Article content Article content Among those steps will be new ineligibility rules to 'protect the asylum system against sudden increases.' Article content The CHNV parole program in the U.S. initially offered 'parole' to certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to stay in the U.S. for two years. The Trump administration paused those protections on March 25, 2025. Article content The following month, asylum claims processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) rose to 4,560, up from 2,940. Article content A federal judge blocked Trump's order in April. Article content CBSA data released to the Investigative Journalism Bureau on Tuesday shows a drop in refugee removals at the border in May following that court order.
