Canada has lost track of 32,000 foreign nationals under deportation orders, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) admitted during a Commons public safety committee meeting this week.Blacklock's Reporter says Erin O’Gorman, president of the CBSA, revealed the staggering number while defending her agency’s performance. “We have about 500 officers dedicated to removals and they are doing an excellent job,” O’Gorman said. “They are following up on their files and every day they are removing people.”Her testimony stunned Conservative MP Frank Caputo (Kamloops-Thompson, B.C.), who called the figure alarming. “This is half of Kamloops we’re talking about,” he said. “Thirty-two thousand people are lost.”.Pressed by Caputo for clarity, O’Gorman confirmed the number represents individuals under deportation orders who cannot be located. “They are in our wanted inventory that we are actively looking for,” she said. When Caputo asked if that meant authorities did not know where those people were, O’Gorman replied, “Correct. We are looking for them.”O’Gorman added that some of those missing have criminal records but claimed they do not pose an immediate threat. “They are criminals who would have served a sentence if it was imposed upon them,” she said, calling them the agency’s “highest priority.”.Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree appeared unaware of the figure when asked by MPs.“I can’t give you that number today,” he said, prompting Caputo to respond, “You are the Minister. The buck stops with you.”The CBSA’s inventory of missing foreign fugitives has ballooned by 14% since 2024, when the agency last reported 28,000 individuals on its wanted list. That total included more than 400 convicted criminals and over 200 others wanted for offences abroad.CBSA officials have previously admitted the agency cannot track every fugitive. “Targets of 100% are rarely achievable,” said Johnathan Moore, CBSA vice-president, in 2023 Senate testimony.
