Canada’s effort to deport foreign nationals linked to British Columbia’s extortion epidemic has stalled after all 14 suspects referred for deportation hearings filed refugee claims, the Canada Border Services Agency confirmed Wednesday.
BC’s Extortion Task Force identified the individuals, but once CBSA began investigating them for immigration violations, all claimed refugee status. The claims have halted deportation proceedings until the Immigration and Refugee Board decides whether their asylum requests are legitimate.
“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 CBSA must now wait for the Refugee Protection Division to decide on the merit of their claims before taking further action.”
Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said the tactic could delay deportations for years due to a massive backlog in Canada’s refugee system.
“They just bought four years in Canada, with subsidized health,” Kurland said. “If they want to go to school, that’s subsidized, and if they need public assistance, that’s subsidized by the taxpayer.”
The development comes amid a broader enforcement effort targeting extortion networks that have terrorized South Asian communities in BC and Ontario. The task force’s efforts have resulted in 96 immigration investigations into foreign nationals as of December 4. Authorities have successfully deported five individuals and issued 11 removal orders.
Authorities have linked the extortion epidemic to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which Canada designated a terrorist entity in September. The India-based criminal organization operates through encrypted messages despite its leader being imprisoned since 2014.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said she was “appalled” by the suspects’ use of refugee claims to evade deportation.
“Law-abiding Canadians and foreign nationals in our city deserve better than to see our legal and immigration systems abused by criminals to extend their stay in Canada,” Locke said in a statement Thursday.
Authorities established the BC Extortion Task Force in September with 40 members from RCMP, CBSA, and municipal police agencies. The task force has focused on investigating extortion threats, shootings, and arsons primarily targeting South Asian business owners.
Canada’s refugee system faces a backlog of approximately 267,000 cases, with average wait times of three to four years for hearings. The Immigration and Refugee Board can reject asylum claims based on criminal inadmissibility, though claimants receive healthcare coverage, work permits, and access to social services while their cases are pending.
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