Thugs entering Canada from Mexico after visa requirements lifted

Before Trudeau announced that visitors from Mexico would no longer need visas to enter Canada, border officials predicted the decision would make it easier for criminals to enter the country. That prediction has turned out to be 100% correct. Half-way through 2017 the CBSA had identified 65 Mexican nationals it said were involved in “serious” crimes. Last year’s figure was 53, and the year before it was 28.

The visa requirement was put in place in 2009 after Mexico became Canada’s top source for refugee claimants, even though the vast majority were economic migrants “not in need of Canada’s protection.” During the 2015 federal election campaign, Trudeau promised that if he was elected Mexicans would no longer need visas to visit Canada. Within days of taking office, he told Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto he would follow through. A study conducted the year before the visa requirement was put in place had identified abuse of Canada’s refugee program by Mexican migrants, the use of fraudulent Mexican passports by crime groups and the presence of criminals among Mexican travelers. “These same problems may resurface once the visa requirement is lifted,” it said. Crime groups included the Sinaloa Cartel, La Familia Michoacana, Jalisco New Generation and Los Zetas.