The Canada Border Services Agency says more than 29,000 foreign fugitives are at large in the country, reports Blacklock’s Reporter.
In a report to MPs, management called the 29,248 “wanted inventory” and the lengthy list includes foreigners convicted of crimes.
Another 10,041 foreigners banned from Canada were deported.
“The wanted inventory includes cases under review to determine if a warrant is required or cases where a warrant has been issued for the arrest, detention and removal of a foreign national,” the CBSA wrote in its report to the Commons public accounts committee.
“The complexity of cases in the ‘removals working’ inventory has steadily increased since 2011. It requires more effort from the Agency to enforce removal orders.”
MPs demanded regular updates on the fugitive count following a 2021 audit that discovered the CBSA lost track of 2,800 foreign criminals in Canada.
The audit found at least 70% of criminal cases were not reviewed annually and lapsed year after year.
Access To Information records earlier obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation showed foreign fugitives included defendants implicated in serious crimes such as murder, assault, drug trafficking, fraud and theft.
The CBSA has spent $34 million a year on its deportation program.
Source: Toronto Sun
