Over 40 percent of foreign border-crossers deemed by border agents to be security risks were still allowed into Canada by the Department of Immigration, according to a report.
“Due to multiple factors and considerations, the Department of Immigration authorized entry or permission to stay in Canada to a significant proportion of applicants who had received a non-favourable recommendation or an inconclusive screening,” wrote the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in an internal audit obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The audit, titled “Evaluation Of The Immigration National Security Screening Program,” said that out of a total of over 7,600, more than 3,300 border-crossers deemed a security concern by the CBSA were allowed into the country by the Immigration Department.
The CBSA marked some border-crossers as a security risk according to the Immigration And Refugee Act on the grounds of suspicions like “espionage,” “terrorism,” “danger to the security of Canada,” “subversion,” and “war crimes.”
The agency said all individuals aged 18 and older who submit a refugee claim in Canada are “subject to the front-end security screening process.”
The CBSA also marked the files of over 14,200 foreign border-crossers as “inconclusive,” meaning the crossers were either missing paperwork or the agency had concerns about them that it said “cannot be ruled out,” Blacklock’s reported.
Out of the migrants with such files, the Immigration Department admitted entry to over 11,500—or about 81 percent—for reasons including “national interest” or disagreement with the CBSA’s conclusions on their files.
“Only 10 percent were refused,” said the CBSA’s audit. “The remaining applications were withdrawn or were pending a decision.”
“The National Security Screening Program may issue an inconclusive finding result on an application,” it added. “There are various scenarios under which this could occur, e.g. missing information.”
Calls to Close Roxham Road
The CBSA’s audit comes amid calls from the Official Opposition for the federal government to close the unofficial border-crossing at Roxham Road in Quebec, through which thousands of migrants seeking asylum have been entering Canada.On Feb. 21, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to close the unofficial entry point within 30 days.
Quebec Premier François Legault has also called on Ottawa several times to close the border crossing, saying it “will have to be closed one day or another, whether we like it or not.”
“The only way to effectively shut down not just Roxham Road but the entire border to these irregular crossings is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement,” he said on Feb. 22.
