Canadian authorities are scrambling to locate nearly 600 foreign nationals—many with serious criminal records—who have disappeared while awaiting deportation.
According to newly released figures from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), 1,635 foreign nationals convicted of crimes in Canada are currently slated for removal. Alarmingly, 599 of them have failed to appear for deportation proceedings and are now on the CBSA’s “wanted” list. Of those, 431 have been found guilty of serious crimes such as sexual assault, with 315 having evaded authorities for more than three years.
“Individuals subject to immigration enforcement have an incentive not to be found and may rely on family and community members to shelter them,” said CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer. He added that some even resort to using alternate identities to avoid detection.
The data reveals a worrying trend in Canada’s immigration enforcement system. While 401 of the 1,635 convicted foreign nationals are currently serving prison sentences and are expected to be deported upon release, the remainder—including the hundreds who have vanished—pose an ongoing challenge to public safety.
As of 2025, CBSA figures show:
- 599 foreign nationals with criminal records are missing
- 315 have been unaccounted for over three years
- 46 have evaded capture for over two years
In addition, 29 foreign nationals are currently detained due to their perceived danger to the public or risk of fleeing. The remaining individuals are largely being supervised in the community, some with electronic monitoring.
Canada had previously maintained a “Wanted by the CBSA” webpage featuring mug shots and details of high-risk fugitives. It was decommissioned in 2023 as authorities shifted to new investigative tools.
The bulk of criminal deportees come from Mexico (7,009), India (5,844), and the United States (1,786), with over 30,000 individuals in Canada currently in the process of removal.
The issue has drawn international attention. In 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Canada of allowing criminals to cross the border into the United States. In response, Ottawa designated seven transnational criminal organisations—including several Mexican cartels—as terrorist entities and announced a $1.3 billion investment in border security, including the hiring of more CBSA and RCMP officers to combat human trafficking and organised crime.
The CBSA maintains it is working to close enforcement gaps and remove criminal offenders “as soon as possible” to protect Canadian communities. But with hundreds of deportees still at large, public safety concerns continue to mount.
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