Canada has only deported 398 of the more than 32,000 illegal migrants who have crossed the Canadian border from the U.S. since April 2017 until the end of August 2018. According to documentation provided to the Toronto Star from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), the majority of those rejected were sent back to the United States.
Of those deported, Canada sent 146 back to the United States: 116 of these are U.S. citizens. Others returned to Haiti, Columbia, Turkey and Iraq. In total, 48 of the deportees were under the age of 17.
“What happens is: people come to the United States, establish themselves and have children while they try to regularize their immigration status,” said Ottawa immigration lawyer Betsy Kane told the Star. “The number of deportees captures these American-born children who accompanied their parents to Canada for asylum.”
The CBSA told the Star that there are many factors in determining where deportees go, such as the location in Canada where they illegally entered the country, the last place they lived, citizenship and where they were born. Everyone rejected for asylum is told why they are being deported after they have attempted to stay in Canada by way of appeal or a legal challenge.
Of the 12,190 overall claims processed in the first six months of this year, 64 percent were granted asylum.
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