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  1. #1
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    Canada: Agents seize immigrants' bogus IDs

    www.canada.com

    Agents seize immigrants' bogus IDs
    Canada's security at risk: Human smugglers behind mailings, report says


    Tom Blackwell
    National Post


    August 26, 2005


    A ''disturbing'' number of counterfeit and other fraudulent identification documents are being sent by mail to would-be refugees and other immigrants here to bolster possibly bogus claims, internal government documents indicate.

    Fake or stolen visas, passports, ID cards, academic records and even marriage certificates have been seized from the mail, say the papers obtained by the National Post through Access to Information legislation. And it appears organized human smugglers are behind a lot of the mailings, according to reports by Canada Border Services Agency officials.

    Stamps for creating official seals on documents have also been recovered, while seizures of blank and doctored school records suggest some of the material is being used for academic fraud, one agency memo says.

    "The mail is being abused by individuals and organizations involved in the illegal movement of people into Canada," concludes a May, 2004, report from the organization's B.C. immigration intelligence section. "Mail seizures within this region are demonstrating an increasing connection to known and suspected people-smuggling operations."

    One immigration lawyer says the mailed documents could pose a national security risk, allowing visitors to create entirely new identities for potentially "nefarious" purposes. But refugee advocates say many of those receiving the documents are likely bona fide claimants wrongly advised to obtain bogus papers.

    The federal Customs Act allows Canadian officials to open and inspect suspicious mail coming into the country, mainly at Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. They can seize material that might represent a breach of Canadian law, and are allowed to read personal or private communication if it may contain evidence of illegality.

    The Border Services Agency reports obtained by the National Post all emanate from the department's B.C. branch, and indicate the number of fraudulent documents seized there climbed almost 50% to about 300 in 2003 from aproximately 200 in 2002, though they note that might be partly due to greater vigilance and better training of analysts.

    "The incidence of fraudulent and suspected documents is disturbing when it becomes apparent that such items can be routinely obtained," said one report.

    It notes that mail seizures are providing valuable intelligence on the "burgeoning" people- smuggling industry in Canada.

    No national statistics are available but the British Columbia experience is not unique, said Amelie Morin, an agency spokeswoman.

    "This is one of the ways the smugglers are using to do their business," she said yesterday. "They will always try to have new avenues. Our role is to always plug the holes.''

    Most of the ID documents seem destined for people who have already arrived in Canada and planned to use the papers in "fabricating" applications for refugee or permanent resident status, says another May, 2004, report from the agency.

    More than 50% of the bogus papers originate in China, including large numbers of false government ID cards and birth certificates, one report said. Border officials in B.C. seized 21 Chinese ID cards just in December, 2003, all addressed to refugee claimants in Vancouver and Toronto, "raising questions about the credibility of these claimants."

    Documents also include many blank school certificates, including one sent from China to a man in Canada on a study permit. "Little brother: The certificates are blank. You can fill them in as needed," the letter acccompanying the document said.

    The high number of seized blank school documents and stamps for putting official "wet seals" on the records suggest not just immigration fraud, but possible academic fraud by temporary or permanent residents of Canada, says a January, 2004, intelligence report.

    Other contraband document seizures described in the reports include:

    - A parcel containing a Canadian passport, a Bangladeshi international driving permit and a page from a Chinese passport, all with the same woman pictured, but different names on each document. The woman was identified as a refugee claimant who had travelled here to join her husband, another claimant.

    - A blank Muslim marriage certificate, seized in B.C., which led to a would-be immigrant, apparently applying as the spouse of someone here, being refused entry to Canada;

    - A package with blank letterhead from relief agencies and medical personnel, which could have been used to fabricate details of refugee claims;

    - A passport and other identity documents sent by courieur from Canada to the Middle East. Investigation revealed that a permanent resident had travelled to the region, given his own, legitimate papers to his brother, who then used them to illicitly enter Canada. The brother mailed them back so the original immigrant could return here. After the package was intercepted, the brother in Canada was arrested.

    Sergio Karas, a Toronto immigration lawyer, says the mailed documents raise concerns beyond just immigration fraud. "It's worrisome," he said. "We could unwittingly harbour someone who is a threat to national security or a threat to the public."

    He also noted that such documents, often sold for huge sums, illustrate how would-be immigrants can be victimized by human smugglers.

    Refugee advocates argue many of the claimants getting the illicit papers are likely legitimate claimants who could not obtain bona fide identity records in their home countries, and have been told by unscrupulous immigration consultants here to buy bogus ones.

    "It's not uncommon for people to get really bad advice, since there are those who prey on desperate people," said Nick Summers, a Newfoundland lawyer and president of the Canadian Council for Refugees.

    The Immigration and Refugee Board has also lately been requiring documents more often to back up claimants' stories, which is likely fuelling the demand for fraudulent papers, Mr. Summers said.
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  2. #2
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    But refugee advocates say many of those receiving the documents are likely bona fide claimants wrongly advised to obtain bogus papers.
    This is one on the most idiotic statements ever.
    Why would a "bona fide claimant" need bogus papers????????????
    http://www.alipac.us Enforce immigration laws!

  3. #3
    Senior Member Darlene's Avatar
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    But refugee advocates say many of those receiving the documents are likely bona fide claimants wrongly advised to obtain bogus papers
    I thought that statement was pretty lame myself.

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