VANCOUVER / OTTAWA — Canada’s effort to remove foreign nationals tied to a burgeoning extortion crisis in British Columbia has encountered an unexpected legal hurdle: every suspect referred for deportation has filed a refugee claim, forcing immigration authorities to pause removal proceedings while those claims are assessed.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said that at least 14 individuals identified by B.C.’s Extortion Task Force have now invoked Canada’s refugee protection process, forcing their cases before the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Refugee Protection Division instead of immediately progressing to deportation. Under current Canadian law, such claims must be adjudicated before removal can proceed.
Those detained or under review were linked to investigations into coordinated extortion schemes that have targeted business owners — particularly within the South Asian community in the Lower Mainland and Brampton, Ontario — involving threats, shootings, and demands for payment. The RCMP‑led task force, which includes CBSA immigration officers, is part of a wider effort to disrupt organized‑crime activity connected to extortion networks.
CBSA told Global News that although some suspects are already the subject of removal orders, their decisions to claim refugee status — even after deportation processes began — now require the immigration tribunal to evaluate the validity of their asylum claims before any removal can take place. Until those decisions are made, deportations are effectively on hold.
Legal experts note that alleged involvement in criminal activity may be raised during asylum hearings and could render claimants inadmissible if their conduct disqualifies them under refugee rules. However, long backlogs at the Refugee Protection Division mean that hearings can be delayed for years, potentially allowing suspects to remain in Canada with access to health care, education and social assistance while their claims are processed — a circumstance critics say could be exploited.
The issue has prompted concern from community leaders, including the Mayor of Surrey, who called on the federal government to amend immigration and deportation rules to prevent alleged criminals from leveraging refugee status to delay or avoid removal. The mayor argued that law‑abiding residents should not feel the immigration system is being misused by those accused of serious criminality.
So far, the CBSA said it has issued removal orders to 11 individuals and already deported five associated with extortion investigations. The remaining 14 suspects’ claims are now under review, highlighting procedural limits that complicate law enforcement’s broader efforts to combat transnational extortion and organized crime in Canada.