Toronto: Orders have been issued to deport 32,000 illegal immigrants from Canada, but the Border Services Agency has so far failed to track them down. The issue of illegal immigrants surfaced during a meeting of the House of Commons’ Public Safety Committee, where members of the Conservative Party questioned Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree over the matter.
When Tory MP Frank Caputo asked for the exact number of migrants on the deportation list, Anandasangaree declined to answer. However, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Chief Erin O’Gorman later confirmed that 32,000 illegal immigrants slated for deportation are currently untraceable, though she noted the figure could vary slightly.
Addressing concerns about illegal border crossings from the US, Anandasangaree said there has been a 99 percent decline compared to the previous year. He also announced that CBSA would receive an additional 55 million Canadian dollars to strengthen deportation efforts.
The minister added that asylum applications from those entering Canada illegally through the US would now be rejected outright. During the committee meeting, Anandasangaree acknowledged that while the RCMP and CBSA saw a two percent budget reduction in the latest fiscal review, both agencies would receive 1,000 additional officers each to enhance enforcement operations.
According to CBSA data, among 398 refugee claimants deported by Canada, 146 were sent back to the US — 116 of whom were US citizens. The rest were deported to 53 other countries, including Haiti (53), Colombia (24), Turkey (19), and Iraq (15).
The highest number of people on the deportation list are Indian nationals, with more than 7,000 individuals awaiting repatriation to New Delhi. Over 2,000 Indians have already been deported this year, and the figure is expected to rise further by the end of 2025.
Anandasangaree claimed that 18,000 foreign nationals were deported during 2024–25, an increase of 2,000 compared to the previous year. Police departments will now assist in locating and detaining illegal immigrants for deportation.
Under Canadian immigration laws, there are three types of removal orders, each with specific regulations.
Departure orders require individuals to leave Canada within 30 days of the order taking effect.
Deportation orders are issued if a person fails to comply within the 30-day period, barring them from returning for at least one year unless granted written authorization.
Exclusion orders apply to individuals who misrepresented themselves, preventing them from returning for five years.
In the case of a removal order, individuals are permanently prohibited from re-entering Canada. The CBSA clarified that the destination of deportation depends on the country from which the individual originally entered Canada.
