Border Agency Has Deported 111 for Extortion-Related Violence Since August 2025

Canada’s border agency has deported more than 100 foreign nationals since August 2025 as part of federal efforts to address extortion-related violence affecting South Asian communities.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) began dedicating resources last August to identifying immigration and refugee cases connected to extortion violence in Western Canada and expanded its operations last November into Ontario.

The agency has issued 188 removal orders and deported 111 people since then, according to a CBSA press release. This includes 91 removal orders and 58 deportations from the Pacific region, 47 removal orders and 30 deportations from the Prairies, and 50 removal orders and 23 deportations from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as of Sept. 3.

The operation’s purpose is to determine whether foreign nationals accused of participating in extortion-based violence have also breached Canadian immigration and refugee laws and to remove those with connections to organized crime or other criminal activity, the CBSA said.

The agency highlighted recent cases in which four men were deported for violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with a range of criminal behaviours.

Foreign nationals Palwinder Singh and Amitoz Bajwa who were linked to extortion-motivated shootings, Jasmer Singh who was convicted in Canada of forcible confinement, and Sahibjot Singh who admitted to committing crimes for an organization were all deported after the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada declared them inadmissible.

The CBSA did not name the home countries of the foreign nationals who have been deported, but Canadian authorities have identified the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang as playing a role in the extortion crimes. The federal government designated the group a terrorist organization in September 2025.

Public Safety Canada said the Bishnoi gang “generates terror” in the diaspora communities it targets through extortions and intimidation that have resulted “in murder, shootings and arson.”

CBSA President Erin O’Gorman said the deportations over the past year can be attributed to the CBSA’s collaboration with law enforcement across the country.

“The removal of more than 100 individuals linked to extortion activities reflects CBSA’s sustained efforts to identify, investigate and take action against those who pose a threat to our communities,” she said.

Extortion-related violence has been on the rise in Canada in recent years, particularly in British Columbia. Surrey, B.C., has been among the hardest hit with 139 reported extortions so far this year, with 21 cases of shots fired, two arsons, and 74 victims, police say.

The CBSA removed a total of 23,160 “inadmissible persons” last year. A total of 1,010 of these removals attributed to “serious criminality” like national security, organized crime, or war crimes or human rights violations.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.