Government of Canada Enlists Help of Canadians to Enforce Canada's Immigration Laws

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 11, 2012) - Today, the federal government added 30 new profiles of individuals to the "Wanted by the CBSA" list and expanded the list to include additional categories for inadmissibility under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Announcements were made in both Toronto and Montréal by the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. Minister Toews was joined in Toronto by Luc Portelance, President of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Minister Kenney was joined in Montréal by Benoît Chiquette, CBSA Regional Director General - Québec Region.

"Our Government will continue to be vigilant at our border, within our communities and around the world, keeping Canada a safe place to live," said Minister Toews. "Today's announcement is another example of how the Harper Government takes its obligation to safeguard public safety very seriously and is taking all necessary measures to ensure Canadians are protected. Canada's doors are not open to those who break the law or endanger the safety of our citizens."

To ensure the public is engaged and continues to provide assistance, 30 new profiles of individuals are featured on the "Wanted by the CBSA" Web page, alongside some of the original cases.

In addition to the categories publicized last year, the consolidated Web page now fully represents the CBSA's priorities for removals, including individuals inadmissible on security grounds or organized criminality.

"Our Government received a strong mandate to keep Canadians safe and secure. We remain committed to capturing and deporting dangerous foreign criminals who break our laws and abuse our generous immigration system," said Minister Kenney. "On behalf of the Government, I would like to thank all of the honest, hard-working Canadians who have called the tip line and whose help has been vital in capturing these foreign criminals and getting them off our streets. The results speak for themselves."

To date, as a result of the "Wanted by the CBSA" program, Canadians have assisted in locating 15 individuals in Canada and four individuals abroad. In addition, the CBSA has removed seven of these individuals from Canada. Today, it was also confirmed that Tharmapaskaran Sellathamby, an individual who was on the CBSA "Wanted" list for serious criminality, was apprehended by the Toronto Police Service in the Greater Toronto Area.

If you have information about suspicious cross-border activity or immigration-related offences, please contact the CBSA by calling the Border Watch Toll-free Line at 1-888-502-9060. Members of the public are reminded that they should not take action to apprehend the individuals listed on the Web site.

For more information, please visit the CBSA Web site at www.cbsa.gc.ca.