Canada has significantly reduced the number of asylum seekers awaiting security clearances after facing a massive backlog in the wake of a surge of so-called irregular migrants crossing from the United States in the last two years.According to Canada Border Services Agency, as of Jan. 31, there were 2,647 refugee cases still awaiting security screening results, down from a peak of 11,745 last February.The agency attributed the improvement to an injection of $6 million in new funds aimed at streamlining the process to eliminate duplication with other government security partners, the hiring of 80 additional staff and the redeployment of existing personnel to tackle the backlog.“Those investments have worked. The CBSA no longer has a backlog and its operations have stabilized,” said Scott Bardsley, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.Earlier this month, the Star reported that thousands of refugee claimants were living in Canada without having been fully cleared by national security, as indicated in an internal border agency report obtained under an access to information request.The report found the backlog had gone up from 1,683 cases in 2016 to 11,745 last year when the average wait time to complete the border agency’s security screenings reached 72 days. The oldest file in the queue hit 857 days, prompting concerns over national security.Tens of thousands of irregular migrants have crossed the border from the United States for asylum in Canada since late-2016 when U.S. President Donald Trump was elected with an anti-immigration mandate. This created much of the security clearance backlog.All refugee claimants — whether at a port of item or after entering the country irregularly — must undergo health clearances and an initial security check based on biometrics information such as fingerprints, photos and travel documents. They are then released for further screening by border agents, which may include personal rec ...
|
