International Law

Jamaican (criminal) deportees...

By immlawyer

Having represented several permanent residents of Jamaican nationality facing removal from Canada, I found this article by Bernard Headley to be quite interesting. Through his research, Professor Headley has found that approximately 40,000 Jamaicans have been returned from various countries (including the US, Canada and the UK) between 1996 and 2007. The return of so many criminals has raised more than a few eyebrows in Jamaica.

What Professor Headley does not talk about is the deportees plight - the individuals that I have assisted have families in Canada, including children, friends, a social network, have held jobs here and have been here for more than two decades. Canada does have the right to remove those convicted of criminal activities, and there has been a definite lack of foresight for the individuals not to have obtained citizenship prior to their criminal escapades.

As a result, not only do they pay their debt to society, they also face removal from their home to a country they don't truly know.

Full post as published by Canadian Immigration Blawg on July 15, 2008 (boomark / email).