Your Singhs today: "We're not gangstas; we're refugees!"

Walt resents suggestions that he thinks all Sikhs are actual or potential criminals and detriments to Canadian society. There are good people and bad people in every ethnic group, and of course there are good Sikhs trying to make better lives for themselves in Canada and the USA than they good have had back home in "Khalistan".

Sikhs can be not just the perpetrators but victims of brown crime. This coming Sunday, three Canadian Sikh organizations will hold a town hall meeting in Surrey BC to discuss "Indian transnational repression and extortion", which they say has reached "crisis level". In a poster promoting the event, the organizers say "Families, businesses, and community members are facing intimidation, threats, and violence that no Canadian should ever experience."

Who are the criminals terrorizing Sikhs, you might ask. The answer is, other Indians of a different religious persuasion... or none at all. Over a year ago, the RCMP warned that Indian government agents -- including diplomatic and consular officials -- were involved in "serious criminal activity in Canada", including extortion. But, in spite of the Liberal government's push to mend fences with India, the latter refuses to acknowledge its alleged role in violent crimes, never mind promising to stop.

Investigations into the extortions of  "South Asian" business owners in BC's Lower Mainland, Brampton ON and Edmonton AB, have led to several arrests and charges. Indian crime groups such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which Canada listed as a terrorist group in September, have been demanding exorbitant payoffs from business owners and others. After threatening victims by phone, gang leaders in India will then send local foot soldiers to conduct arsons and shootings to pressure them to pay up. 

The obvious way to put a stop to the criminality in the Indo-Canadian community [sic] would be to deport the criminals. But there's a small problem -- Canada's ridiculously liberal policies on asylum-seekers and "refugees".

Last September, the British Columbia government formed an extortion task force, led by the Mounties and immigration officers, to tackle "organized-crime activity involved in extortion-related threats." It is led by the RCMP and composed of police and immigration officers. As of last week, the Canadian Border Services Agency had opened 96 investigations into foreigners identified by the task force. Then this happened.

Here's the problem in graphic form.  11 of the ciminals were found to be in "non-compliance" -- not in Canada legally -- and were issued removal orders. Surprisingly, 5 of those were actually deported. 14 other individuals who attracted attention from the task force were referred to the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board, which stops the deportation process dead. 

Their cases are now on hold until the IRB decides what to do with them. A spokesthingy for the IRB told Canada's Global TV News he would not comment further on the matter. Nor would he respond when asked if all were citizens of India. 

The vice-chair of immigration at the Canadian Bar Association’s BC branch, whose name is Amandeep Hayer (no relation), said the suspects' alleged involvement in crime could still be raised during their refugee hearings, and the IRB could... maybe... possibly... reject their claims for asylum on the grounds they are inadmissible to Canada for criminality.

Meanwhile, according to Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, the "suspects" have succeeded in delaying their deportations for years. Mr Kurland blamed a backlog of refugee cases, "because Ottawa refuses to resource the IRB to provide expeditious hearings to prevent four-year waits. They just bought four years in Canada, with subsidized health. If they want to go to school, that’s subsidized, and if they need public assistance, that's subsidized by the taxpayer."

O Cana-duh!

Note from Ed.: This post has been adapted from reports on Canada's Global TV News.