Border Officer challenges, Passport issues
Perimeter fences and lighting, surveillance cameras, gate controls and road infrastructure at 11 border crossings have been improved by the Canada Border Services Agency in an attempt prevent a repeat of last year’s “Freedom Convoy” protests which had a widespread economic impact. [node:read-more:link]
The Canada Border Services Agency has confirmed that arrests warrants have been issued for 300 foreign criminals deemed a danger to the public and facing deportation. It also is trying to find more than 37,000 foreigners who may pose a flight risk, may not agree to be questioned or attend an immigration hearing. [node:read-more:link]
Three years after the Auditor-General said the Canada Border Services Agency did not adequately deal with workplace harassment, discrimination and violence, one of the agency’s veteran dog-handlers has gone public with ongoing issues. [node:read-more:link]
Simranjit (Shally) Singh, 41, an Indian national from Brampton arrested in 2022, has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in Albany, New York, to human smuggling as part of a network which enabled Indian migrants to cross the border. Sentencing is scheduled for December. [node:read-more:link]
A perceived shortage of U.S. agents along the border with Canada is alarming some members of Congress. The issue is temporary reassignment to the border wth Mexico. [node:read-more:link]
Confirmation that 3,314 foreign nationals considered security risks were permitted entry into Canada between 2014 and 2019 erodes trust in the immigration system, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said today. She was responding to a report that they were among 7,141 brought to the attention of Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada by the CBSA and CSIS. [node:read-more:link]
Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley has ruled that the Canada Border Services Agency’s assessment in refusing an elderly Chinese man’s applicant for permanent residency was “dubious” and “over-reaching.” The CBSA had said Liping Geng had trained spies and might be one too, but Mosley (Docket No. IMM-1374-22) has ordered another immigration officer to review his case. [node:read-more:link]
Canada Border Services Agency officers have been disciplined for hundreds of acts of misconduct over the past two calendar years, including preferential treatment and criminal association, according to documents obtained through the Access to Information Act. In the last fiscal year alone, 93 investigations resulted in 54 verbal or written reprimands and 38 suspensions. [node:read-more:link]
A U.S. town on a peninsula south of Vancouver wants President Joe Biden to help them hire Canadians to fill a labour shortage. The problem is that Point Roberts was effectively cut off by Homeland Security after the 2011 terrorist attacks, making it difficult for U.S. citizens to travel through Canada to access the town for work. [node:read-more:link]
The 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S. was ruled fundamentally constitutional today by the Supreme Court of Canada (Docket No. 39749). Advocacy groups had argued that Canadian officials were wrong to indiscriminately refugee claimants’ entry without considering their safety or the state of U.S. facilities. [node:read-more:link]
Despite opposition from Hungary and Poland as well as misgivings among other members, the European Commission has endorsed a common policy on handling immigrants and asylum seekers as well as creating a common approach to border controls European Council President Ursula von der Leyen, who, upon becoming president of the European Commission, called it a “huge milestone.” [node:read-more:link]
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced today that the trusted-traveller program at airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal is being reworked over two weeks starting June 7. It will relax rules about the content of carry-on baggage and enable children younger than 18 and adults 75 and older to accompany verified travellers on the same reservation to move quickly through security. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government plans to take passport renewals on-line this fall. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced the move today when he unveiled a new passport design with upgraded security features. Applications for new passports, including for children, would still be handled in-person. [node:read-more:link]
In a bid to curb illegal crossings from Canada, the U.S. has asked Canada to reinstate visa requirements for visiting Mexican nationals. The former Conservative government began requiring visas in 2009 but the current Liberal government relaxed the requirement in 2016 and evidently is unreceptive to the latest request. [node:read-more:link]
U.S. officials say that nine persons detained after illegally crossing from southeastern Manitoba this week were handled by a smuggling ring. After receiving an emergency call from one of the men, RCMP advised U.S. border control. [node:read-more:link]
