Somali migrants with criminal records are fleeing the United States for Canada as they try to evade increased immigration enforcement and seek refugee status.
In an intelligence report by the Canada Border Services Agency, officials said Somali migrants who are eligible for deportation in the U.S. are leaving Minneapolis, as they believe they have a better chance at amnesty in Canada.
“Somali nationals with criminal records in the U.S. may be attempting to evade justice by claiming refugee protection in Canada,” the report stated.
Between 2012 and 2015, a total of 16 Somalis with serious criminal records crossed the U.S. northern border into Canada. Of the 16, 11 of the Somali migrants had criminal records in Minnesota, which has one of the largest Somali Muslim populations in the United States. Under President Donald Trump, those numbers could rise.
In April, Breitbart Texas reported how an estimated 4,000 Somali migrants are expected to be deported. The removal of Somali migrants breaks from the previous Bush and Obama administrations’ more lax policies. For instance, between 2012 and 2016, only 445 Somali migrants were deported. Within the first four months of the Trump Administration, there have already been nearly 260 deported.
Of the nearly 260 Somali migrants deported under Trump thus far, 80 were from St. Paul, Minnesota, where the Somali population has boomed due to high levels of resettlement there under the last two administrations.
The intelligence report said increased immigration enforcement in the U.S. “may be a contributing factor for individuals with criminal records to enter into Canada illegally.”
Though the report did not reveal how many criminal Somalis have entered Canada from the U.S. in 2017, Canadian border officials previously told CBC News up to 50 percent of the illegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Canadian Border have criminal records.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.