33,000 Deportation Warrants: Why Still Active?
Inside Canada’s Hidden 33,000-Strong Deportation Backlog
The Numbers Don’t Lie: A Growing Pile of “To-Do” ListsCanada’s immigration enforcement isn’t messing around, but the backlog? It’s like that one friend who promises to pay you back “next week.” Fresh stats from CBSA (as of December 2025) paint a picture of hustle mixed with hassle. Total Warrants in the Wild: Over 33,000 active removal warrants right now. That’s a small town’s worth of folks on the lam.
The Stubborn Ones: More than 10,000 have been chilling for over a year. Yeah, you read that right—ancient history in warrant years.
Removals on the Rise: CBSA booted about 22,000 people in the last 12 months (that’s ~400 a week, folks). For 2024 full-year? A record 16,860 enforced removals, up 11% from 2023—the highest since 2019’s 11,276.
The Bigger Backlog: Overall removal inventory? A whopping 485,000+ cases as of late 2024. Breakdown: ~30,000 “wanted” (can’t find ’em), 20,000 stuck in appeals, and 30,000 in progress. The rest? Awaiting decisions or no action needed yet.
Warrant Wrangling: In the last two fiscal years (up to mid-2025), CBSA closed 9,500 warrants but added 7,000 more. Net win, but it’s like bailing out a boat with a teaspoon. Back in 2019, they reviewed 47,000 warrants, executing 1,441 arrests and canceling 7,891 (mostly self-deports). And for failed refugee claimants alone? 28,000 active warrants as of early 2024, with 18,684 enforceable orders post-denial.
| Year | Enforced Removals | Active Warrants (Approx.) | Warrants >1 Year Old |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 11,276 | ~50,000 (inventory peak) | N/A |
| 2023 | ~15,200 | ~30,000 | ~8,000 |
| 2024 | 16,860 | 33,000+ | 10,000+ |
| 2025 (proj.) | 22,000+ | 33,000+ | 10,000+ |
(Data compiled from CBSA reports and parliamentary disclosures —projections based on Q1-Q3 trends.)
Why the Warrant Pile-Up? Blame the Usual SuspectsIt’s not for lack of trying—CBSA’s got Inland Enforcement Officers chasing leads, partnering with cops, and even using electronic monitoring for low-risk folks (GPS ankle bracelets, anyone?). But here’s the rub:
Absconders Galore: High removal years mean more no-shows, spiking warrants. Post-pandemic border chaos didn’t help.
Refugee Roulette: Of those 28,000 failed claimants, many vanish into the woodwork. Only 73 were detained as of early 2024; the rest? Community supervision or just… gone.
Legal Limbo: Appeals, stays (like UN interventions or sanctuary in churches), and document hunts (getting travel papers from reluctant home countries) gum up the works. About 10% need escorted removals for safety.
Resource Crunch: With 485,000 in the queue, prioritizing criminals (410 failed claimants with Canadian convictions) leaves the rest simmering.
Wrapping It Up: Warrants Aren’t Going AnywhereAs 2025 winds down, expect more removals (aiming for 16,000+ annually by 2026) and tech tweaks to hunt warrants faster. If you’re sweating one? Update your address, lawyer up, and don’t ghost that interview. For the rest of us? It’s a reminder: Canada’s doors swing both ways—welcome mat out, but broom ready.
What is a removal warrant?
A Canada removal warrant is an arrest warrant issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for a foreign national or permanent resident who is subject to an enforceable removal order and has failed to comply with the required procedures, such as attending an interview or reporting for their scheduled departure.
For more information visit https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/security-securite/rem-ren-eng.html
