20,000 deportees missing

Feds clueless on whereabouts

 OTTAWA -- The federal government has no idea of the whereabouts of more than 20,000 foreigners -- some with criminal records -- who have been ordered deported, immigration documents reveal.

 That's half of the 40,632 outstanding deportation orders issued in Canada since 1993.

 Nationwide warrants have been issued for the arrest of these people, but officials concede that no federal department or police officials are actively working on their files.

 Although officials admit their computer tracking system is not able to provide them with a breakdown of these 20,743 wanted people, they believe the vast majority of them are refugee claimants who failed to meet the test that would allow them to remain in Canada.

 CRIMINALS

 The others include criminals, temporary workers whose permits have expired, students, and visitors who have overstayed their visas.

 Immigration spokesman Huguette Shouldice told The Sunday Sun that it's unlikely many of these 20,743 foreigners have serious criminal records or immigration officers would be on their tails.

 Shouldice said the government believes many of the foreigners at large may have already left Canada but simply failed to inform officials on their way out.

 "We firmly do not believe that this means 20,743 people are here living underground. What we're saying is a lot of those people would have left the country. But because we don't have exit controls in Canada, like they do in Cuba or China, we don't know how many are still here," she said.

 Shouldice said the government believes the vast majority of these undesirables are people who have come to Canada claiming refugee status and either failed to show up for their hearings, or simply did not meet the requirements and failed to leave.

 "If they have been ordered removed with a departure order from immigration, they are supposed to check out at the airport, although they don't always," Shouldice said.

 "So when we are not sure they left, the government issues a warrant for their arrest and the warrant is entered into the police computer system. But only if they are stopped for speeding or jaywalking or shoplifting ... are they discovered."

 Police and immigration officials are actively chasing 11,108 of the 40,632 outstanding cases. Shouldice concedes it's a long, slow process.

 For example, she said, many in this category are currently in Canadian jails and cannot be deported until they finish their sentence.

 Of the remaining 8,781 cases, 6,824 did not qualify as refugees after having completed their appeals and are awaiting a "risk review."

 This means they are cleared for deportation but because they may be at risk if returned to their home country, they are allowed to stay in Canada.

 The final 1,957 cases fall into a miscellaneous category. They do not register on government computers and there are no immigration or police officials working on these files.

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