How Many People Are Flagged for Terrorism Concerns by Canada’s Border Security?

Canada’s security screening process for immigration has been under scrutiny since the recent arrests of multiple immigrants for alleged terrorist plots.
These high-profile suspects were admitted into Canada, but many others have been flagged as potential security concerns. The Epoch Times asked the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) how many prospective immigrants have been turned away due to terrorism concerns.
Another 37,000 were “believed to be inadmissible” by an officer at a port of entry, but chose to withdraw their applications and leave instead of being referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board. CBSA could not provide much detail about these cases or the reasons for inadmissibility, but said some reasons could include health or financial concerns.
Of the 3,500 suspected of being seriously inadmissible, 76 percent were flagged for serious criminality, which includes crimes with a prison sentence of at least 10 years. Another 14 percent were flagged for lesser criminality, 6 percent specifically for organized criminality, 3 percent for “security” (not further defined), and 1 percent for human rights violations or war crimes.
That’s as detailed as CBSA could get when asked for the number of cases related to terrorism concerns specifically.
The agency also completed security screening for more than 38,000 permanent or temporary resident application cases in 2023, and found approximately 800 of them were inadmissible “on grounds of security, human or international rights violations or organized crime.”
The committee heard that Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, the father, came to Canada in 2018 with a temporary resident visa and made an asylum claim a few months later. He passed security screening and was granted refugee status. He became a citizen earlier this year.
At issue during the committee’s discussion was a 2015 ISIS propaganda video that allegedly shows Eldidi dismembering a prisoner with a sword. CBSA Executive Vice-President Ted Gallivan told MPs his organization obtained a copy of the video from the dark web after recent media reports about it. The video was not available to CBSA when Eldidi was being screened, he said.
Another alleged terrorist was arrested in Quebec on Sept. 4. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national, allegedly planned to target a Jewish centre in New York City on the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
That’s the highest number since 2017, the earliest year for which data is provided on the agency’s website.
Most of the requests were for citizenship applications (296,300), followed by refugees (128,900), temporary residents (46,400), and permanent residents (21,600).
CSIS said in its report that the rapid increase in asylum claimants over the past five years is “creating pressures at ports of entry and leading to delays in process and other strains on the asylum system.”
The Epoch Times asked CSIS in August whether the increased workload is straining the agency’s resources. A spokesperson said the agency can’t discuss internal resource allocations.
Former CSIS intelligence analyst Phil Gurski told The Epoch Times the agency is likely stretched.
“I don’t think they have the resources to do a full background check on everybody that the government was seeking to bring in to Canada,” he said.
CBSA said it examines all travellers seeking to enter Canada and works closely with domestic and international law enforcement to identify any threats.
“Canadians can be confident that Canada’s law enforcement and security agencies investigate and respond to potential threats,” CBSA said. “We will always take the necessary action to keep Canadians and those on Canadian soil safe.”