After being denied refugee status, more
illegal migrants were secretly taken from a British Columbia jail
and sent back to China on Thursday.
Ninety adults were removed from
a holding centre in Prince George, B.C., and ushered on board a
chartered 747 jet at the local airport.
 Therese
Vermette |
No notice of the deportation was given to the public ahead of
time for security reasons, according to Ottawa.
Their departure follows a similar deportation in May, when 90
other illegal migrants were flown home.
They were among the 599 people who arrived in rusty boats off
B.C.'s coast last summer. Investigators said many had each paid
human smugglers the equivalent of a life's savings to take the
dangerous voyage.
In total, 196 of the migrants caught last year have now been
deported.
"All these people have had access to the legal processes
available," said Therese Vermette of Immigration Canada at a new
conference.
"All the immigration and legal proceedings have been exhausted."
About 150 other migrants are being held and their cases are going
through the system, according to Vermette.
"We will continue to work with Chinese authorities to effect more
removals," she added.
The deported migrants probably face fines or jail sentences back
home. More than 125 people who were not detained after being caught
entering the country illegally last year have disappeared.
Vermette said that China has told Canada it will be lenient with
the deportees. Canadian officials in Asia plan to monitor the
treatment of those who are sent back.
In the meantime, authorities are on the alert for any more
illegal migrants who might try to sneak into Canada this summer.
Some civil rights groups have criticized the mass deportations,
arguing that the migrants will face harsher penalties by Chinese
authorities if they arrive in one large group.
