Extortion suspects have all claimed refugee status, Canada’s border agency says

The development has frustrated deportations of foreign nationals accused of fuelling B.C.'s extortion boom.

Canada’s plan to expel those behind B.C.’s extortion epidemic has hit a roadblock after every single suspect sent for a deportation hearing claimed refugee status.

The foreign nationals were identified by B.C.’s Extortion Task Force, but once the Canada Border Services Agency began investigating them, all claimed to be refugees.

As a result, deportations of the 14 suspects have been put on hold until the Immigration and Refugee Board decides whether they have legitimate cases for asylum.

“The 14 individuals made a refugee claim after the CBSA initiated immigration investigations against them for alleged inadmissibility,” the border agency told Global News.

The immigration enforcement agency spokesperson said he would not comment further on the matter, and did not respond when asked if all were citizens of India.

The vice-chair of immigration at the Canadian Bar Association’s B.C. branch said the suspects’ alleged involvement in crime could still be raised during their refugee hearings.

The refugee board could reject their claims for asylum on the grounds they are inadmissible to Canada for criminality, Amandeep Hayer said.

But by making refugee claims, the suspects may have delayed their deportations for years, said Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.