Questions are swirling surrounding the integrity of Canada’s security screening systems after two suspected terrorists entered the country
The federal Liberal government is hoping to alleviate pressure on Quebec and Ontario, where the bulk of asylum seekers are entering through airports in Toronto and Montreal, by resettling asylum seekers more evenly in other provinces across the country.
With oceans on three sides, and only the U.S. as a neighbour, Canada has historically been able to limit unexpected asylum claims by pre-screening passengers who hope to travel here by air from countries known for high levels of asylum claims. But the numbers coming in at airports have skyrocketed in recent years.
Here’s what’s really going on:
How much have airport claims increased by in recent years?
Canadian airports are on pace for another record year in 2024, processing 31,000 asylum claims between January and July, more than three times the number that have been processed at land ports of entry.
What’s driving the increase?
In 2016, the federal Liberal government dropped requirements that travellers from Mexico obtain visa to come to Canada, a requirement imposed by the previous Conservative government. Canada’s intake of asylum seekers from Mexico more than doubled each year from 2016 to 2023.
It proved to be a hugely consequential move that coincided with the surge in asylum claims.
Migrants are using the Montreal and Toronto airports as landing points because they’re Canada’s two biggest hubs for international flights.
Where are the claimants coming from?
Mexico was the largest source country for migrants seeking asylum in Canada last year, followed by Haiti, Turkey, India and Colombia.
Do airports have the resources to properly screen claimants?
David Thomas, a Vancouver-based lawyer and mediator with over 20 years in immigration law, says that the short answer is “no.”
Thomas said CBSA’s airport immigration screeners lack the resources to properly vet the asylum claimants who wind up in their queues.
“A lot of the time they won’t even know if the guy in front of them had a criminal record in his home country,” Thomas said.
“All (airport personnel) can really do is stamp a document and give the claimant their hearing date,” added Thomas.
Thomas said that CBSA personnel lack the resources of police and intelligence agencies, adding that it can take even the most well-resourced agencies upwards of a year to properly vet a foreign national seeking legal status in Canada.
“Airport personnel, through no fault of their own, generally don’t do a very good job of scrutinizing applicants,” said Thomas.
A source with knowledge of the CBSA’s screening procedures said that time is often a restricting factor for airport immigration agents. They are often trained to move people through the queue quickly, with limited time spent with each person.
The source said that time pressures are pushing airport screeners to “shunt people onto the next stage of assessment,” usually their admissibility hearing, and “hope they’re vetted more closely later on.”
How long can asylum claimants stay in Canada?
Do all asylum claimants given refugee status qualify for permanent residency?
National Post
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