Migrant Rights Network Urges Prime Minister Trudeau to Honour Commitment Made on December 16, 2021
December 7, 2023 – Migrant Rights Network is raising the alarm on increased deportations that are tearing families apart despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promising regularization of undocumented people nearly two years ago. Data acquired through access to information requests show that 7,032 people were deported in just the first half of 2023, nearly double the deportations in either 2021 or 2022. Migrant Rights Network reiterates our call for full and permanent resident status for all migrant students and workers, including regularization of undocumented people.
At a press conference this morning, undocumented migrants who have been deported or are facing deportation and family members of deportees reported on the dire consequences of deportations. “An average of 39 people were deported every day in the first half of 2023, as compared to an average of 21 people per day in 2021, the year prior to Prime Minister Trudeau’s promise”, says Mary Gellatly, Parkdale Community Legal Services. Canada placed a moratorium on deportations in March 2020, which was lifted in November 2020.
Canada Border Services Agency receives at least a staggering $46 million per year for deportations – which averages out to $4,750 to deport one person. In contrast, providing settlement and integration services for a permanent resident cost a lot less, approximately $3,900.
“The Prime Minister pledged dignity and rights, but now oversees 39 deportations a day at a cost of nearly 50 million dollars a year – it’s unfair and absurd to rip families apart today when they’ll be regularized tomorrow,” says Syed Hussan, Migrant Rights Network Secretariat. “We need an end to deportations and full and permanent immigration status for all.”
Migrants follow all the rules, but simply can’t get their rights. Most low-wage migrant workers and students have no access to permanent residency; over 40% of refugee claimants are denied. As a result, most migrants have to choose between leaving behind their friends, their jobs and their communities in Canada and potentially being forced to move to a country where they may face risk or live in Canada undocumented, exploited and in daily fear of deportation.
“During my stay in Canada, I followed all the rules and regulations and I had full faith in the Trudeau government that they would fulfill their promise of regularizing all immigrants but they failed to deliver their promise. Now in India, I can’t go back to my house due to life threats. I am living at an undisclosed place away from my city to save my life along with my sister. I have spent four years of my life working in Canada. Now in India, I have no money or income source and also unable to work outside due to life risks.” says Rajan Gupta, who was deported from Canada to India on November 11, 2023.
Canada is deporting individuals who would likely obtain permanent resident status once a regularization program is established. A regularization program would be accompanied by a moratorium on deportations. Migrant Rights Network, along with almost all civil society, labour and environmental organizations have called for immediate implementation of a comprehensive regularization program, through which most undocumented people would get permanent resident status.
“It feels horrible and it’s honestly heartbreaking that Canada wants to deport me back to a country that is being the victim of an active genocide. Israel doesn’t recognize me as a citizen, and doesn’t even want me on “their land”. It’s so disgusting and shameful that after all we’ve been through, and after all we’ve given, Canada is just willing to throw me and my family out into a death sentence. And I know we’re not the only victims of this,” says nineteen year old Tareq Abuznaid, who has been in Canada for eight years and is facing deportation to the West Bank, Palestine.
“There is no reason for this government’s failure to create a program for regularization of undocumented migrants in Canada. This kind of scheme is an effective, simple legal mechanism which has already seen successful implementation across a range of jurisdictions worldwide. This government’s consistent focus on instead deporting people is short-sighted, misplaced and causes irreparable damage to families and communities,” says Swathi Sekhar, immigration lawyer.
Between 1996 and 2008, 24 of the 27 EU Member States implemented regularization programs, and some several times. An estimated 5.5 to 6 million people were regularized in that time. The largest programs were the Italian 2002 program that regularized 634,000 people and the Spanish 2005 program that regularized 578,375 people. In 2021, Ireland regularized most undocumented people in the country who met a basic residency requirement.
BACKGROUND
Prime Minister Trudeau pledged regularization of undocumented people on December 16, 2021, a commitment reiterated on multiple occasions by former and current Immigration Ministers since then. Individuals who could be regularized when a program is created are instead being deported, while many other undocumented people live in increased fear because of surging deportations while awaiting the program. Regularization that allows undocumented people in Canada to apply for permanent resident status would include them in the family of rights, and raise the floor for everyone in the country. Without permanent resident status, migrants are exploited at work, excluded from life saving services and separated from families.
See the Migrant Rights Network proposal for regularization here: https://migrantrights.ca/resources/regularization-in-canada/
Deportation statistics
- Data we obtained via access to information requests
| Removal Quarter | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Quarter 1 | 1848 | 1901 | 3832 |
| Quarter 2 | 1717 | 2141 | 3200 |
| Quarter 3 | 1854 | 2166 | Unavailable |
| Quarter 4 | 2216 | 2316 | Unavailable |
| Total | 7635 | 8524 | 7032 |
| Averaged per day | 20.91 | 23.35 | 39.07 |
- In the first 18 months since Prime Minister Trudeau’s promise in December 2021, at least 15,500 people have been deported.
- Extrapolating from statistics from the first two quarters of 2023, nearly 22,000 people may have been deported since the promise.
- Deportations surged by 104% in the first quarter of this year compared to the average of the first-quarter deportations over the previous two years.
- On average, 39 people were deported every day in the first half of 2023, compared to an average of 21 people per day in 2021.
Financial implications
- Canada Border Services Agency receives at least $46 million per year for deportations – which averages out to a cost of $4,750 to deport one person.
- In the three fiscal years leading up to 2022-2023, Canada spent a minimum of $46 million dollars per year on deportations, as per the Auditor General report in 2020. During this time, an average of 9,684 people were deported where data is available.
- It only costs about $3,900 to provide settlement and integration services for a permanent resident.
The 2022 – 2023 settlement funding was 1.7 billion dollars (See Quebec here, and rest of Canada here) for 431,000 permanent residents.
Press conference recording available on request. Media contact:
Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org