Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he does not want to 'downplay the severity' of migrant smuggling from Mexico, and that the acceptance rates from asylum seekers from Mexico were much lower overall than those from other countries.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Mexican cartels are among the organized-crime groups being investigated for smuggling people to Canada, a committee of MPs looking into the issue heard Wednesday.
The RCMP told the House of Commons immigration committee that people trying to make it to Canada were vulnerable and that “organized criminals of all stripes – Mexican cartels included – will exploit that.”
“And we can say in Canada from our investigations across the country that there is Mexican organized crime involved in this,” said Richard Burchill, the RCMP’s Acting Assistant Commissioner of Federal Policing Criminal Operations.
Daniel Anson, director-general of intelligence and investigations at the Canada Border Services Agency, said the agency was investigating 171 cases of human smuggling, with some complex cases lasting years. He said the CBSA worked with the RCMP on some cases, and the focus was pursuing the organizers of smuggling operations.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller told the Commons that the government is looking at measures to “tighten the screws” on steeply rising migration to Canada, including examining whether to re-impose visas to visitors from Mexico.
“The flows that are coming into the country – regardless of the country of origin – particularly in terms of asylum seekers and irregular migration are very high,” he said. “I think it is important to take a look at our public policies to see where we can tighten that up – and that includes Mexico.”
Conservative immigration critic Tom Kmiec said there had been a surge in asylum claims from Mexicans to more than 14,000 a year, since the visa requirement was lifted in 2016. He pressed the minister on why action has not yet been taken to reimpose visas, with 70 per cent of Mexican asylum claims rejected.
Mr. Miller said he did not want to “downplay the severity of the issue” and that the acceptance rates from asylum seekers from Mexico were much lower overall than those from other countries. But he said Mexico is one of Canada’s most important trading partners and the issue involved “a process internally as well as with the Government of Mexico.”
“Undoubtedly, the volumes are disconcerting when it comes to people coming in from Mexico,” he said.
Scott Harris, associate deputy minister at Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said he has regular and productive discussions with Mexican officials. But he said that his Mexican counterparts have raised concerns about the prospect of reintroducing visas for Mexicans who want to come to Canada.
“They have expressed concerns around modifying the current structure around travel between our two countries,” he said, adding that Canada continues to raise “integrity concerns.”
Human smuggling involves arranging illegal entry into a country, and generally involves the consent of the person smuggled. But people who are trafficked are often coerced against their will and exploited, including in the sex trade.
Mr. Miller said that 96 per cent of human-trafficking victims are women and girls, with nearly 70 per cent under the age of 25. He said Canada had programs not only to detect traffickers but to offer support for victims.
“Our efforts are vital to ensure that Canada eliminates criminal organizations that are taking advantage of vulnerable migrants,” he said.
Asked by NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan about the exploitation of migrant workers who are tied to their employers, Mr. Miller said he was looking at reforming closed work permits, and was working with Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault on changes that may be unveiled within months.