06/26/2026
Important enforcement update for immigration practitioners and the communities we serve.
The Canada Border Services Agency has confirmed 484 immigration investigations opened nationwide in connection with extortion-related criminal activity, 196 of them in the Greater Toronto Area alone. As of June 18, 139 removal orders have been issued and 81 individuals removed from Canada.
This is a significant and welcome enforcement action. A few observations worth noting for those who work in this space:
Inadmissibility on grounds of serious criminality and organised crime is a powerful tool, and CBSA is clearly deploying it. The agency's collaboration with Peel Regional Police, the RCMP, and provincial task forces reflects exactly how immigration enforcement is meant to work when foreign nationals exploit a pathway into this country to commit violent crimes.
For our South Asian communities in Brampton, Mississauga, Surrey, and beyond, communities that have borne the brunt of this extortion wave, this is a message that the system can and does respond.
Immigration is a privilege, not a right. Those who use their presence in Canada to threaten, extort, and endanger others will and should face its consequences, including removal.
Sharing this for awareness. If you have information on individuals involved in these activities, the CBSA tip line is open: 1-888-502-9060.
Across the country, the Canada Border Services Agency has opened 484 immigration investigations involving foreign nationals tied to extortion.