‘Canada is not Minnesota,’ minister says in reaction to U.S. immigration raids

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree defended Canada’s immigration removals as lawful and humane while declining to judge U.S. enforcement actions in Minnesota.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he won’t pass judgment on the U.S. crackdown by federal forces in Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of two residents.

But he is quick to defend Canada’s respect for the law when removing people from the country under immigration provisions.

“What I would say is that Canada is not Minnesota,” Anandasangaree said in an interview earlier this week.

“I think my responsibility is not to opine on other countries’ processes but, more importantly, to ensure that our process is in line with Charter values, is in line with the rule of law and is in line with due process.”

Anandasangaree, who is responsible for the Canada Border Services Agency, said Ottawa removed more than 22,000 people last year “in a compassionate and humane manner” while adhering to due process “every step of the way.”

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and Customs and Border Protection have conducted intensive operations in Minnesota this month, sparking large protests and widespread outrage — especially since the shooting deaths of Minneapolis residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

Good was shot to death in her car Jan. 7 by an ICE officer, and Pretti was killed at a demonstration on Jan. 24 by Customs and Border Protection officers.

Anandasangaree played down the notion Canadian security agencies might be sharing less intelligence with U.S. counterparts these days because of the widely criticized U.S. tactics.