Karas: Canada’s deportation backlog is real. The solution is competent enforcement 

Hard not to argue with the release of more detailed data on removals and greater oversight:

…First, dedicate a defined portion of the 1,000 new CBSA officers being recruited over three years to inland enforcement, warrant review, travel-document work, and removals case management. More officers at ports of entry will not by themselves resolve inland files. Resources should follow regional workload and case complexity, not headline-driven national quotas.

Second, assign every enforceable case a responsible officer, a next-action date, and an automatic escalation when a file becomes inactive. CBSA and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada must also finish integrating their case-management information so that court decisions, risk assessments and changes in status move between agencies without delay. Better technology will not remove anyone by itself, but it can prevent thousands of files from disappearing into administrative limbo.

Third, use detention and monitoring proportionately. Detention should remain a last resort, particularly for vulnerable and low-risk individuals. But credible flight risks and serious criminal or security cases require close supervision. For cooperative, lower-risk cases, reporting requirements and alternatives to detention can preserve compliance without the expense and human cost of unnecessary detention.

Fourth, make voluntary departure the default for suitable low-risk cases. Most removals are already unescorted, and CBSA has a dedicated telephone line for people subject to removal orders. A carefully limited return-assistance program could free enforcement officers for fugitives and complex cases—but only if independently evaluated. Canada’s earlier pilot achieved 3,950 removals against a projected 6,955 and became less cost-effective as participation declined. That record argues for disciplined experimentation, not another open-ended program.

Finally, use diplomacy more aggressively where foreign governments delay travel documents. Canada has previously developed country-specific removal and repatriation plans with Global Affairs Canada. Those plans should include clear timelines, senior-level escalation, and public reporting on persistent non-cooperation, while respecting Canada’s international protection obligations.

Parliament has now required monthly reporting on removals, unenforced orders, and the reasons for delay. That transparency should be used to publish outcomes by risk category, inventory age, and impediment—not merely the largest possible removal total. Raw numbers can reward easy administrative closures while difficult public-safety cases remain unresolved.

A credible immigration system must be fair at the front end and final at the back end. Canada should never remove someone before the law permits it. But when every legitimate avenue has been exhausted, a removal order must mean something. The answer is neither mass detention nor empty promises. It is competent case management, risk-based enforcement, international cooperation, and transparent accountability.

source: OP-ED: Canada’s deportation backlog is real. The solution is competent enforcement