Latest news with #LukeReimer
CTV News
01-08-2025
- CTV News
Hundreds of foreign nationals with criminal convictions evading border authorities in Canada, some for years
A patch is seen on the shoulder of a Canada Border Services Agency officer's uniform in Tsawwassen, B.C., Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Nearly 600 foreign nationals with criminal convictions are evading Canadian authorities, with more than half of them on the Canadian Border Services Agency's (CBSA) 'wanted' list while avoiding removal for more than three years, CTV News has confirmed. According to the CBSA, 1,635 foreign nationals with criminal records were facing removal orders, as of mid-July. Of those, 599 — more than a third — have failed to appear for a scheduled removal proceeding, with whereabouts unknown. More than 70 per cent of the missing individuals have been convicted of 'serious criminality' in Canada. Serious criminality includes convictions punishable by a minimum of six months and maximum of 10 years in prison for a crime committed in Canada. Those could include anything from aggravated sexual assault to robbery, as well as hybrid offences, such as ones involving impaired driving or distributing cannabis to minors. 'The CBSA has an obligation to remove individuals under enforceable removal orders as soon as possible to ensure the protection and safety of Canada and the Canadian public,' wrote CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer in an email to CTV News, after the figures were reported in the Globe and Mail. 'To support this, the Agency prioritizes cases for removal based on a risk management regime.' The CBSA wanted inventory lists cases in which removal orders have been issued, but the foreign national is evading Canadian authorities and deportation. While 193 cases have been on the list for less than a year, 45 have been on the list for one-to-two years, 46 cases for two-to-three years, and 315 for more than three years. 'CBSA officers undertake proactive investigations to locate and arrest individuals subject to an immigration warrant. Investigations are prioritized, ensuring high-risk cases have the greatest number of resources,' Reimer wrote, adding the agency does regular reviews to track down wanted individuals or confirm whether they've left Canada. 'Individuals subject to immigration enforcement have incentive not to be found and may rely on family and community members to shelter them,' Reimer also wrote. 'In addition, some individuals may resort to using alternate identities to avoid detection.' Reimer said the CBSA prioritizes removals for cases 'subject to a serious inadmissibility,' namely in instances of organized crime, human rights violations, or when the individual poses a security risk or has been convicted of a crime in Canada. Order of priority for the agency then moves on to irregular migrant asylum seekers, such individuals who cross the border between ports of entry. They're followed by failed refugee claimants, and finally, 'all other immigration violations.' In 2013, the federal government passed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act — dubbed the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act by the government at the time — to make it harder for foreign nationals and permanent residents convicted of 'serious criminality' to review their inadmissibility to Canada. 'Deportation is often viewed as an administrative measure, separate from criminal punishment,' wrote immigration lawyer Yoann Axel Emian in an article for the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. 'Yet for many migrants in Canada, the consequences of a criminal conviction extend well beyond the sentence handed down in court.' 'A sentencing decision that might seem routine can result in removal from the country, sometimes to a place the individual has not lived since early childhood,' Emian added. 'This legal and human reality places criminal court judges in a difficult position.' Emian said the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act was a 'significant development,' removing the ability of foreign nationals and permanent residents to appeal a removal order after they've been convicted or completed their sentence. The changes in the legislation 'tighten the link between criminal convictions and removal from Canada,' Emian wrote. 'Despite this legislative change, sentencing judges have continued to grapple with the impact of deportation in their decisions,' Emian also wrote. 'In some cases, they have found ways to challenge or mitigate these consequences.' Reimer said the CBSA removed a record total 18,000 inadmissible people from Canada last year, with Canada's Border Plan laying out a goal of 20,000 removals in the next two years. The border plan was first announced last December in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on Canadian goods if Canada doesn't stop the flow of drugs and migrants over the border. Also included in the plan, and in the government's 2024 fall economic statement, is more funding for the CBSA, to be used in part on boosting immigration investigations, Reimer said.
Hamilton Spectator
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
New legislation aims to strengthen Canada's borders
As of June 3, 2025, the Canadian government is seeking to introduce new legislation to implement additional border security measures. Bill C-2, also known as the 'Strong Borders Act,' was brought forward at a news conference on Parliament Hill. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree was present to discuss the measures outlined in the bill. The federal government's new legislation aims to strengthen border security. The proposed bill has three main components: securing the border, fighting organized crime and illegal fentanyl, and disrupting illicit financing. When approached for comment on June 3, Luke Reimer, Spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, Government of Canada, redirected the inquiry to a standard response on the Government of Canada's website, which posted information on strengthening border security, along with an accompanying backgrounder on the Strong Borders Act. Some of the recent changes the federal government would like to bring into legislation include: * Recruiting 1,000 more RCMP personnel to tackle drug and human trafficking, foreign interference, cybercrime, and organized criminal gangs. * Hiring over 1,000 additional CBSA personnel, including border services officers, intelligence analysts, and specialized chemists, and training up to 9 new detector dog teams. The government also proposes to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act to: * Remove barriers that prevent police from searching mail, where authorized to do so in accordance with an Act of Parliament, to carry out a criminal investigation. * Expand Canada Post inspection authority to open mail. In December 2024, the government implemented changes to the border plan, including: * Detecting and disrupting the fentanyl trade: The Government of Canada will increase support to law enforcement agencies in detecting, intercepting, and addressing fentanyl and precursor chemicals by adding artificial intelligence and imaging tools that will help detect illegal drugs before they enter Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will train and deploy new canine teams to intercept illegal drugs. The agency currently has over 80 detector dog teams located at various ports of entry across Canada. CBSA will also deploy new chemical detection tools at high-risk ports of entry. * Introducing significant new tools for law enforcement: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will deploy a new Aerial Intelligence Task Force comprised of helicopters, drones, and mobile surveillance towers. Counter-drone technology will support RCMP officers and provide 24/7 surveillance between ports of entry. * Increasing information sharing: The Government of Canada will build on information and intelligence sharing between federal, provincial, territorial authorities, the U.S., and other international partners. Enhanced information sharing will allow authorities to identify, monitor, and collaborate with partners to intercept high-risk individuals attempting to travel along with goods of interest attempting to move between countries. The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) and its Additional Protocol remain in place. People must claim asylum in the first country they enter – be it Canada or the U.S. This agreement mitigates against unlawful entry into either country and maintains border integrity for both countries. Claimants that do not meet an exception or exemption to the STCA will be returned to the first safe country they entered, either Canada or the U.S. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Brad Dokken: Canada extends Remote Area Border Crossing permits through 2025, but questions remain
Feb. 21—There was good news (sort of) this week for people who live, work or play in remote areas along the U.S.-Canada border, when the Canada Border Services Agency announced that all Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) permits issued after Sept. 1, 2023, will now be valid until Dec. 31, 2025. "The CBSA is extending the validity of existing RABC permits while we complete the program review," Luke Reimer, a CBSA spokesperson, said in an email to the Herald. The extension was effective beginning Tuesday, Feb. 18, Reimer said, and will continue until the end of this year. RABC permits — as they're commonly known — traditionally are good for one year, but as the Grand Forks Herald reported in November, the Canada Border Services Agency on Sept. 25, 2024, paused the processing of new and renewal RABC applications as part of a review and update of its procedures. That left many U.S. residents who rely on the RABC permits in places without a staffed border crossing checkpoint wondering how they could legally enter Canada to fish, camp, boat or snowmobile — to name just a few activities — in areas such as the Canadian waters of lakes and rivers along the Minnesota-Ontario border if their permits had expired or they needed to apply for one. This week's extension to existing RABC permits eliminates those concerns, at least for now. "New permit applications are still being accepted, but will only be processed once the review of the program has been completed," Reimer said. "More information will be shared when available." According to the CBSA website, five remote areas are covered by the RABC program: the Pigeon River in northeast Minnesota through to — and including — Lake of the Woods, the Canadian shore of Lake Superior, Cockburn Island (on Lake Huron), Sault Ste. Marie (upper lock system) and the Northwest Angle area. Travelers wishing to enter Canada without a valid RABC permit, or hold permits but are outside of one of the program's five designated areas, must report in person to the CBSA at an open port of entry, Reimer said. Options in that situation are limited and include Ontario highway border crossings at Pigeon River, Fort Frances and Rainy River. There are "special procedures" in place for the Northwest Angle, which is not accessible by land from the rest of the U.S., Reimer said. Bordered on three sides by Canada, the Angle is only accessible by road by driving through about 40 miles of Manitoba. Before Tuesday's CBSA action, Angle residents and visitors with expired RABC permits had to call the CBSA Telephone Reporting Center at (888) 226-7277 — CANPASS — to enter Canada. That remains an option for anyone at the Angle who doesn't have an RABC, but the wait time to speak with a CBSA officer can range from a few minutes to an hour or more. The last time I called the CANPASS number from Youngs Bay on the Northwest Angle mainland, I was on hold for 47 minutes before I could talk to a CBSA officer, who cleared me to travel through Manitoba so I could get back home. Anyone needing to call the CANPASS number from the Angle can use a personal cellphone or visit an Outlying Area Report Station (OARS) phone at Jim's Corner, Carlson's Landing or Youngs Bay on the Northwest Angle mainland, Reimer said. Still to be determined, of course, is when the RABC program will be back online or if a new program will be rolled out to take its place. Here's an excerpt from an email the CBSA sent to a permit holder on the Northwest Angle: "The CBSA is continuing to review the RABC program against service needs and evolving trends, while ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of Canada in order to ensure the program reflects member needs." In other words, stay tuned.
