CBSA says removals at all-time high, but 10K warrants are over a year old

The agency says more than 22,000 people have been removed from the country in the last 12 months, and nearly 30,000 removals were "in progress" as of Oct. 31.

More than 10,000 removal warrants in the Canada Border Services Agency inventory have been active for more than a year — even though the agency says removals are at an all-time high.

CBSA statistics show more than 33,000 removal warrants in the current inventory. Agency vice-president Aaron McCrorie said more than 22,000 people have been removed from the country in the last 12 months.

The CBSA says nearly 30,000 removals were “in progress” as of Oct. 31.

McCrorie said the CBSA processes a “never-ending” stream of people entering the country, including citizens returning from abroad, tourists and asylum seekers.

The vast majority of people deemed inadmissible to Canada are barred for not complying with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. They can include temporary residents violating the terms of their permits.

McCrorie said that only 2.2 per cent of people deemed inadmissible to Canada are barred due to criminality.

He said more than 70 million people came through Canadian ports of entry in the last year, “some of whom will be declared inadmissible and some of whom will then fail to comply with the requirements to leave the country.”

“So it’s a constant dynamic in terms of new people entering our inventories,” McCrorie said in an interview from Rigaud, Que.