Rob Johnston of Immigration Canada says the six men were being held in a jail in northern British Columbia. And unlike most of the migrants who arrived this summer, this group didn't apply for refugee status.

Johnston says all the Canadian government needed to deport them was the co-operation of the Chinese government. "Working with them, we were able to obtain the travel documents and enforce six removals," said Johnston.

Lawyers for many of the migrants have been highly critical of immigration officials, accusing them of having a hidden agenda to deny the migrants legal representation and, in some cases, the opportunity to make refugees claims.

The Immigration Department eventually conceded it had acted too quickly in issuing eviction orders for several dozen migrants and agreed to let them stay and file claims.

But Johnston insists the six who were removed were treated fairly. "I think we're taking a very appropriate enforcement response and you're now seeing the results of that," he said.

Six deportations certainly isn't many, considering more than 500 migrants arrived in B.C. this summer. Still, the news will likely come as a relief to some senior government officials.

Last week they admitted their worst fear was that the Chinese would refuse to co-operate and not take back any of the migrants.