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Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Network of Turkish smugglers transporting migrants into Quebec, RCMP says
Police allege the network was behind the early August case that saw 44 migrants — mostly Haitian asylum seekers — packed into a U-Haul near Stanstead. Published Aug 13, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read A Surete du Quebec (SQ) police officer patrols a crash scene involving two vehicles in Hemmingford, Que., on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Police say they are looking for a group of migrants who were inside a vehicle that rolled over near the Canada-U.S. border in southern Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi A network of Turkish smugglers has been operating to bring mostly Haitian asylum seekers into Quebec in recent months, police believe. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'For the last five or six months, we've had crossings in which Turkish individuals were intercepted or arrested at the border,' RCMP Cpl. Hugo Lavoie told The Gazette Wednesday. 'Why Turkish people? We don't know.' On Sunday, the RCMP says it arrested two Turkish nationals allegedly involved in a smuggling scheme near Valleyfield, which Lavoie said saw 11 Haitian asylum seekers intercepted in two cars. Earlier this month, police say they stopped a U-Haul truck near Stanstead packed with 44 migrants, also mostly of Haitian origin. Four alleged smugglers are under arrest in that case, which the RCMP says it believes is connected to this latest incident. The asylum claimants, meanwhile, were transported into Canada Border Services Agency custody. CBSA has since deported an unknown number of the asylum seekers to the U.S., where they were likely detained by immigration officials. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Right now, it's a lot of Haitians,' crossing into Quebec, Lavoie said. The uptick began around five months ago, he said. U.S. immigration crackdowns under President Donald Trump have led some to seek refuge in Canada, including Haitians, whose temporary protected status is under threat from the Trump administration. Gang violence and political arrest in Haiti have made the country dangerous to many. The alleged network of Turkish smugglers is the only one police are investigating, Lavoie said. Alongside the U-Haul case and this weekend's incident, he said investigators are trying to tie the network to a July collision in Hemmingford that saw an SUV strike a vehicle carrying around a dozen migrants. Smugglers in Canada have 'contacts in the United States,' Lavoie said, who typically drop migrants 'on the other side (of the border) in the United States.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Migrants then cross on foot through forest to reach smugglers on this side of the border, he said. In the area south of Valleyfield, 'there's not even a kilometre' to cross, Lavoie said. Asylum seekers 'enter the woods, walk 15, 20 minutes, and arrive in Canada.' Crossings typically happen at night to avoid police detection, he added. Asylum seekers found by police aren't typically allowed to apply for refugee status in Canada, a result of an agreement signed between Canada and the United States that allows Canadian authorities to deport most asylum claimants back to the U.S. But asylum seekers who evade detection for 14 days after crossing the border are exempt, and can apply for a hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The agreement has seen asylum seekers turn to smugglers to avoid deportation. Asylum claimants caught by police know they're likely to be sent back to the U.S., Lavoie said. 'They're all co-operative. They don't resist.' Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Columnists World Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Network of Turkish smugglers transporting migrants into Quebec, RCMP says
By A network of Turkish smugglers has been operating to bring mostly Haitian asylum seekers into Quebec in recent months, police believe. 'For the last five or six months, we've had crossings in which Turkish individuals were intercepted or arrested at the border,' RCMP Cpl. Hugo Lavoie told The Gazette Wednesday. 'Why Turkish people? We don't know.' On Sunday, the RCMP says it arrested two Turkish nationals allegedly involved in a smuggling scheme near Valleyfield, which Lavoie said saw 11 Haitian asylum seekers intercepted in two cars. Earlier this month, police say they stopped a U-Haul truck near Stanstead packed with 44 migrants, also mostly of Haitian origin. Four alleged smugglers are under arrest in that case, which the RCMP says it believes is connected to this latest incident. The asylum claimants, meanwhile, were transported into Canada Border Services Agency custody. CBSA has since deported an unknown number of the asylum seekers to the U.S., where they were likely detained by immigration officials. 'Right now, it's a lot of Haitians,' crossing into Quebec, Lavoie said. The uptick began around five months ago, he said. U.S. immigration crackdowns under President Donald Trump have led some to seek refuge in Canada, including Haitians, whose temporary protected status is under threat from the Trump administration. Gang violence and political arrest in Haiti have made the country dangerous to many. The alleged network of Turkish smugglers is the only one police are investigating, Lavoie said. Alongside the U-Haul case and this weekend's incident, he said investigators are trying to tie the network to a July collision in Hemmingford that saw an SUV strike a vehicle carrying around a dozen migrants. Smugglers in Canada have 'contacts in the United States,' Lavoie said, who typically drop migrants 'on the other side (of the border) in the United States.' Migrants then cross on foot through forest to reach smugglers on this side of the border, he said. In the area south of Valleyfield, 'there's not even a kilometre' to cross, Lavoie said. Asylum seekers 'enter the woods, walk 15, 20 minutes, and arrive in Canada.' Crossings typically happen at night to avoid police detection, he added. Asylum seekers found by police aren't typically allowed to apply for refugee status in Canada, a result of an agreement signed between Canada and the United States that allows Canadian authorities to deport most asylum claimants back to the U.S. But asylum seekers who evade detection for 14 days after crossing the border are exempt, and can apply for a hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The agreement has seen asylum seekers turn to smugglers to avoid deportation. Asylum claimants caught by police know they're likely to be sent back to the U.S., Lavoie said. 'They're all co-operative. They don't resist.'
