Security risks still in Canada

[justcrowing]

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/st...dea8670&k=65571

Excerpts .....

Security risks still in Canada

3,000 criminals, possible terrorists avoid deportation

Rejected from settling permanently in Canada because of their criminal offences, shady pasts or the potential security risks they pose, the 3,000 are among 30,000 expulsions that have not been carried out by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

And those 3,000 are still in Canada for reasons that vary widely.

They may be serving prison sentences, have cases pending before the courts, be needed as Crown witnesses, have their warrants suspended because of a moratorium on deportations to a troubled country, or be applying for special consideration to stay due to dangerous conditions in their homelands.

Others may simply have disappeared, slipping underground -- or leaving on their own without notifying authorities.

The Supreme Court of Canada declared last June that Mr. Mugesera incited genocide in Rwanda by delivering a hate-mongering speech to Hutu militants before the 1994 massacre of more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis.

A decade after deportation proceedings began and nine months after the top court ruled, the Quebec City resident is still in Canada awaiting a pre-removal risk assessment. Officials at Citizenship and Immigration Canada could allow him to stay if they deem his security at risk in his homeland.

Mr. Mohammad neglected to mention he was convicted in the fatal hijacking of an Israeli airliner when he arrived in Canada in 1987.

Once his past as a terrorist for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine caught up with him a year later, Canadian officials initiated deportation proceedings on the grounds he had entered the country under false pretenses.

But 18 years on, Mr. Mohammad is still here.

His latest bid to avoid removal argues it would be "cruel and unusual" to send the ailing 62-year-old sufferer of migraines, prostatitis, diabetes and high cholesterol to Lebanon, where Palestinians often have difficulty accessing health care. my comment: Tough & too bad and why should Canadian taxpayers pay for his health care?

Sergio Karas, a Toronto immigration lawyer, called the 3,000 unexecuted warrants for rights violators, war criminals and terrorists an "astonishing number."

He said that while everyone is entitled to due process and has a right to their day in court, their deportations can be dragged out for years, even decades, due to a seemingly limitless array of appeal procedures.

[Leafless]

justcrowing

Could be the government or at least the previous Liberal government has a different definiton of a criminal and maybe even carry certain socialist sentiments that 'everyone is basically good but just misunderstood'.

Either that or Citizenship and Immigration Canada is in one hell of a mess.

[justcrowing]

justcrowing

Could be the government or at least the previous Liberal government has a different definiton of a criminal and maybe even carry certain socialist sentiments that 'everyone is basically good but just misunderstood'.

Either that or Citizenship and Immigration Canada is in one hell of a mess.

From a reliable source - previous government knew who the criminals were and there is no mistaking about it. Investigative work produced detailed reports. Much was overshadowed by socialist sentiments and votes. The system is also in a mess because of understaffing; being too lax, and not enforcing the Act as it was written.

[na85]

justcrowing

Could be the government or at least the previous Liberal government has a different definiton of a criminal and maybe even carry certain socialist sentiments that 'everyone is basically good but just misunderstood'.

Either that or Citizenship and Immigration Canada is in one hell of a mess.

Why must it always come to Liberal-bashing? Is it impossible to discuss this without partisan theatrics?

[blueblood]

I'm not to sure about this, but if your not a Canadian citizen, aren't you at quite a mercy and a lot of stuff doesn't apply to you, I'm probly wrong, but i've heard if we mess around somewhere else, we don't get the same rights as citizens of that country and I'm not sure if that applies here. If it does, on the boat they should go, and I believe our unemployment is too high to support immigration, better using our resources on our citizens that need help instead of allowing immigrants to plug up the system. All I have to do is point out those poor bastards on the reserves, give them opportunities first.

[Argus]

justcrowing

Could be the government or at least the previous Liberal government has a different definiton of a criminal and maybe even carry certain socialist sentiments that 'everyone is basically good but just misunderstood'.

Either that or Citizenship and Immigration Canada is in one hell of a mess.

Why must it always come to Liberal-bashing? Is it impossible to discuss this without partisan theatrics?

Clearly, they should have been gone. They weren't removed. That is due to incompetence or criminal negligence on the part of the previous government. It has nothing to do with partisanship. If the tories had been in power for twelve years and this situation prevailed I would be just as critical of them.

[Michael Hardner]

Clearly, they should have been gone. They weren't removed. That is due to incompetence or criminal negligence on the part of the previous government. It has nothing to do with partisanship. If the tories had been in power for twelve years and this situation prevailed I would be just as critical of them.

Argus - many of these problems won't go away with the new government. A lot of the conservative awakening that has happened in the last twenty years or so seems to be misplaced frustration with bureaucracy.

I was quite surprised this summer to hear Bill O'Reilly's criticisms of the US government's efforts in Iraq. It surprised me in two ways: first, that he was open-minded enough to criticize GWB, and secondly that he was naive enough to think that Iraq could be 'fixed' in a couple of years.

The expectations that political change will improve things significantly inevitably lead to disappointment, disenchantment and loss of faith in institutions. I think we should consider moving certain types of government operations outside of the political sphere and see if that helps.

[justcrowing]

justcrowing

Could be the government or at least the previous Liberal government has a different definiton of a criminal and maybe even carry certain socialist sentiments that 'everyone is basically good but just misunderstood'.

Either that or Citizenship and Immigration Canada is in one hell of a mess.

Why must it always come to Liberal-bashing? Is it impossible to discuss this without partisan theatrics?

This has nothing to do with Liberal bashing - at least not on my part. All previous governments are guilty however, it was Trudeau who , I believe, opened the flood gates and relaxed the rules so Liberals must assume some blame especially since they have had power the longest.

[justcrowing]

This morning's news - The U.S. has found terrorist ties to Canada and this involves a Canadian born terrorist. We would like to believe that those who come here to live in peace would leave their baggage behind them but they don't and pass it along to the children. How does a country deal with something like this? What about the Tamil Tigers who have been raising money for terrorist activities and yet we as a country turned a blind eye and allowed it to happen for many years.

Politicians are aware that there are approx. 50 terrorist groups in Canada raising funds under the guise of charities, and have been keeping a watchful eye on them. Why just a watchful eye and not do something positive about it? Why were the Tamil Tigers allowed to operate for so long and were just recently raided in their operation in Montreal?

blueblood - You do not have to be a Canadian citizen to have all the rights and privileges under our Charter. The moment a foreigner steps on our soil, they have these rights. We can only blame ourselves for not extending this right only when it is earned and one becomes a citizen. Is there any other country that automatically extends such rights to newcomers who have not become citizens? Sometime ago, I read in one of the Eastern online papers, that in Toronto the unemployment rate of immigrants/refugees exceeds 60% - all of whom are collecting welfare. No doubt these are economic immigrants but can we save the whole world by handing out charity? Why must we keep known foreign criminals here and not enforce explusion? Well in part that can be because the homeland is glad to get rid of them and will not provide travel documents hence we are stuck with them. To send them somewhere other than their homeland and if they are not accepted by another country, that would leave these people stateless so they unfortunately remain in Canada.

Immigrants have helped to build this country but the criminal element certainly does not. Just my two cents worth.

[Michael Hardner]

Sometime ago, I read in one of the Eastern online papers, that in Toronto the unemployment rate of immigrants/refugees exceeds 60% - all of whom are collecting welfare. No doubt these are economic immigrants but can we save the whole world by handing out charity?

I'd like to see the source on that. Immigrants have a very tough row to hoe and the ones I've spoken to have shown more resolve and determination than most Canadians. People who work hard to earn a degree, then come to Toronto to drive a cab for four years before getting work in their area of expertise deserve a tip of the hat. And the primary motivation for immigration policy seems to be economic, which shows no signs of changing with the current government.

[geoffrey]

Sometime ago, I read in one of the Eastern online papers, that in Toronto the unemployment rate of immigrants/refugees exceeds 60% - all of whom are collecting welfare. No doubt these are economic immigrants but can we save the whole world by handing out charity?

I'd like to see the source on that. Immigrants have a very tough row to hoe and the ones I've spoken to have shown more resolve and determination than most Canadians. People who work hard to earn a degree, then come to Toronto to drive a cab for four years before getting work in their area of expertise deserve a tip of the hat. And the primary motivation for immigration policy seems to be economic, which shows no signs of changing with the current government.

What other motivation could there/should there be?

[justcrowing]

My take would be that those who struggle are here through legal channels and are motivated. What about those who are not? Getting back to security risks, I did archive the following ....

http://www.parapundit.com/archives/001970.html

According to numerous intelligence and law enforcement reports, however,

terrorists and international organized crime groups increasingly are using

Canada as an operational base and transit country en route to the United

States. A generous social-welfare system, lax immigration laws, infrequent

prosecutions, light sentencing, and long borders and coastlines offer many

points and methods of entry that facilitate movement to and from various

countries, particularly to the United States. These factors combine to make

Canada a favored destination for terrorists and international organized

crime groups.

particular systemic and institutional characteristics make Canada hospitable

to international terrorists and criminals. David Griffin, Executive Officer

of the Canadian Police Association, explained:

Our proximity to the United States of America makes Canada extremely

vulnerable, however it is our lax immigration policy, open borders, weak

laws, archaic justice system, an even weaker corrections system and under

enforcement that make us extremely attractive to the sophisticated

criminal.584

In a 1999 Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report entitled

“Exploitation of Canada’s Immigration System: An Overview of Security

Intelligence Concerns,” CSIS Director Ward Elcock is quoted as saying that

“in most cases, [terrorists] appear to use Canadian residence as a safe

haven, a means to raise funds, to plan or support overseas activities or as

a way to obtain Canadian travel documents which make global travel easier.”

According to the report, more than 50 terrorist groups are believed to be

operating in Canada, including the Algerian Armed Islamic Group, the

Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Tamil Tigers, Sikh extremists, the Kurdistan

Workers Party, Hizballah, and extremist Irish groups.585 According to a 1999

report by Canada’s Special Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence,

Crimes committed in Canada are not considered relevant to asylum requests

unless they would bring more than ten years of imprisonment. This

provision means that most of the criminal means by which terrorists raise

funds—such as fraud, theft, and counterfeiting—would not disqualify them for

asylum, even if they are found guilty. The same can be said for a portion of

the illegal activities engaged in by international organized criminal

groups.