Canada’s plan to expel those behind B.C.’s extortion epidemic has hit a roadblock after every single suspect sent for a deportation hearing claimed refugee status.
The foreign nationals were identified by B.C.’s Extortion Task Force, but once the Canada Border Services Agency began investigating them, all claimed to be refugees.
As a result, deportations of the 14 suspects have been put on hold until the Immigration and Refugee Board decides whether they have legitimate cases for asylum.
“The 14 individuals made a refugee claim after the CBSA initiated immigration investigations against them for alleged inadmissibility,” the border agency told Global News.
The immigration enforcement agency spokesperson said he would not comment further on the matter, and did not respond when asked if all were citizens of India.
The vice-chair of immigration at the Canadian Bar Association’s B.C. branch said the suspects’ alleged involvement in crime could still be raised during their refugee hearings.
The refugee board could reject their claims for asylum on the grounds they are inadmissible to Canada for criminality, Amandeep Hayer said.
But by making refugee claims, the suspects may have delayed their deportations for years, said Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.
“They just bought four years in Canada, with subsidized health. If they want to go to school, that’s subsidized, and if they need public assistance, that’s subsidized by the taxpayer,” he said.
Kurland blamed a backlog of refugee cases. “And that’s because Ottawa refuses to resource the IRB to provide expeditious hearings to prevent four-year waits,” he said.
Deportations are key to Canada’s effort to tackle the extortions that have been targeting members of the South Asian community, particularly in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Brampton, Ont.
Indian crime groups such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which Canada listed as a terrorist group on Sept. 29, have been demanding exorbitant payoffs from business owners and others.
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After threatening victims by phone, gang leaders in India will then send local foot soldiers to conduct arsons and shootings to pressure them to pay up.
Because the Indian government has allegedly used the Bishnoi gang to attack its political opponents in Canada, the issue has become intertwined with foreign interference and repression.
In September, the B.C. government formed an extortion task force to tackle “organized-crime activity involved in extortion-related threats.” It is led by the RCMP and composed of police and immigration officers.
The CBSA is an “integral part” of the task force, according to the RCMP, which said immigration officers help execute search warrants, conduct investigations and share information with police.
As of Dec. 4, the CBSA had opened 96 investigations into foreign nationals identified through the extortion task force. Eleven of those have been issued removal orders, and five have already been deported.
All 11 were found to be in “non-compliance,” a term that generally means their student or work permits had expired, or they were not studying at the schools, or employed in the jobs, stipulated in their visas.
“Additionally, 14 individuals brought to the attention of the CBSA’s Pacific Region from the B.C. Extortion Task Force have been referred to the Refugee Protection Division of the IRB,” the CBSA said.
“These cases are currently before the IRB for decision.”
But the CBSA later acknowledged to Global News that all 14 had claimed to be refugees and their cases had therefore been sent to the IRB’s Refugee Protection Division, halting deportation efforts.
The IRB has not responded to questions about the cases.
On Sunday, three Canadian Sikh organizations will hold a town hall meeting in Surrey, B.C. to discuss Indian transnational repression and extortion, which they said had reached “crisis level.”
“Families, businesses, and community members are facing intimidation, threats, and violence that no Canadian should ever experience,” the Sikh Federation, B.C. Gurdwara’s Council and World Sikh Organization of Canada said in a poster promoting the event.
The RCMP warned in October 2024 that Indian government agents were involved in “serious criminal activity in Canada,” including extortion. Indian diplomatic and consular officials were allegedly involved.
India has still not acknowledged its alleged role in violent crimes in Canada, nor has it publicly vowed to stop.
But since taking office, Prime Minister Mark Carney has moved quickly to mend ties with India in the hope of securing a trade deal.
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