OTTAWA, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Canadian authorities, following specific guidelines, can now enter women's shelters to pick up illegal immigrants awaiting deportation, officials said.
The new policy, effective Friday, lets Canada Border Services Agency immigration officers enter the shelters to round up illegal immigrants, the QMI Agency reported.
"Where a foreign national is subject to an enforceable removal order and fails to leave Canada, the CBSA is statutorily obligated to remove the individual as soon as reasonably practicable," the order said. "While cases where a foreign national enters a women's shelter require heightened sensitivity, the obligation to investigate and remove the individual does not cease to exist in those circumstances."
A government source told QMI the CBSA would use "extreme" discretion when removing a woman from a shelter and would take extra care to protect women seeking protection from abusive situations.
"In those cases, the officers will let the person remain in the shelter, get the help they need and worry about the deportation notice later," the source told QMI.
