Ditto, grandparents on one side and great grandparents on another. I hear you.
Refugee/Migrant Crisis
- Thread starter Tecumsehsbones
- Start date
Florida prepares to build 2nd immigration detention centre to join ’Alligator Alcatraz’
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Aug 05, 2025 • 2 minute read
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention centre, awarding at least one contract for what’s labeled in state records as the “North Detention Facility.”
The site would add to the capacity at the state’s first detention facility, built at an isolated airfield in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Already, state officials have inked more than $245 million in contracts for that facility, which officially opened July 1.
Florida plans to build a second detention centre at a Florida National Guard training centre called Camp Blanding, about 43 kilometers southwest of downtown Jacksonville, though DeSantis has said the state is waiting for federal officials to ramp up deportations from the South Florida facility before building out the Camp Blanding site.
“We look forward to the increased cadence,” of deportations, DeSantis said last month, calling the state “ready, willing and able” to expand its operations.
Civil rights advocates and environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the Everglades facility, where detainees allege they’ve been forced to go without adequate food and medical care, and been barred from meeting with their attorneys, held without any charges and unable to get a federal immigration court to hear their cases.
President Donald Trump has touted the facility’s harshness and remoteness as fit for the “worst of the worst,” while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the South Florida detention centre can serve as a model for other state-run holding facilities for immigrants.
Plans for the ‘North Detention Facility’
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency that built the Everglades facility, has awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency response weather station and two lightning sirens for what’s been dubbed the “North Detention Facility,” according to records in the state’s public contract database. The equipment will help enable “real-time weather monitoring and safety alerting for staff.”
The contract comes as the state approaches the peak of hurricane season, and as heavy rains and extreme heat have pounded parts of Florida. Immigrant advocates and environmentalists have raised a host of concerns about the Everglades facility, a remote compound of heavy-duty tents and trailers that state workers and contractors assembled in a matter of days.
Last week, FDEM released a heavily redacted draft emergency evacuation plan for what the document called the “South Florida Detention Facility.” Entire sections related to detainee transportation, evacuation and relocation procedures were blacked out, under a Florida law that allows state agencies to make their emergency plans confidential. Despite multiple public records requests by The Associated Press, the department has not produced other evacuation plans, environmental impact studies or agency analyses for the facility.
Questioned by reporters on July 25, FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie defended the emergency response agency’s plans for the makeshift facility, which he says is built to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which packs winds of up to 110 mph.
“I promise you that the hurricane guys have got the hurricane stuff covered,” Guthrie said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Aug 05, 2025 • 2 minute read
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention centre, awarding at least one contract for what’s labeled in state records as the “North Detention Facility.”
The site would add to the capacity at the state’s first detention facility, built at an isolated airfield in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Already, state officials have inked more than $245 million in contracts for that facility, which officially opened July 1.
Florida plans to build a second detention centre at a Florida National Guard training centre called Camp Blanding, about 43 kilometers southwest of downtown Jacksonville, though DeSantis has said the state is waiting for federal officials to ramp up deportations from the South Florida facility before building out the Camp Blanding site.
“We look forward to the increased cadence,” of deportations, DeSantis said last month, calling the state “ready, willing and able” to expand its operations.
Civil rights advocates and environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the Everglades facility, where detainees allege they’ve been forced to go without adequate food and medical care, and been barred from meeting with their attorneys, held without any charges and unable to get a federal immigration court to hear their cases.
President Donald Trump has touted the facility’s harshness and remoteness as fit for the “worst of the worst,” while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the South Florida detention centre can serve as a model for other state-run holding facilities for immigrants.
Plans for the ‘North Detention Facility’
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency that built the Everglades facility, has awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency response weather station and two lightning sirens for what’s been dubbed the “North Detention Facility,” according to records in the state’s public contract database. The equipment will help enable “real-time weather monitoring and safety alerting for staff.”
The contract comes as the state approaches the peak of hurricane season, and as heavy rains and extreme heat have pounded parts of Florida. Immigrant advocates and environmentalists have raised a host of concerns about the Everglades facility, a remote compound of heavy-duty tents and trailers that state workers and contractors assembled in a matter of days.
Last week, FDEM released a heavily redacted draft emergency evacuation plan for what the document called the “South Florida Detention Facility.” Entire sections related to detainee transportation, evacuation and relocation procedures were blacked out, under a Florida law that allows state agencies to make their emergency plans confidential. Despite multiple public records requests by The Associated Press, the department has not produced other evacuation plans, environmental impact studies or agency analyses for the facility.
Questioned by reporters on July 25, FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie defended the emergency response agency’s plans for the makeshift facility, which he says is built to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which packs winds of up to 110 mph.
“I promise you that the hurricane guys have got the hurricane stuff covered,” Guthrie said.
Florida prepares to build 2nd immigration detention centre to join ’Alligator Alcatraz’
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention centre.
Parole board denies Cuban dangerous offender's bid for release
Dangerous offender Guillermo Valle-Quintero, who emigrated from Cuba in 1997, cannot be deported unless granted full parole, according to parole board
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
OTTAWA — Canada’s parole board has denied early release for a dangerous offender who terrorized two women shortly after emigrating from Cuba to Canada.
Guillermo Valle-Quintero, currently serving an indeterminate sentence for inflicting years of terrifying abuse upon two women, was denied release at a Parole Board of Canada hearing last month. The board listed his “significant number of violent offences committed persistently against a former intimate partner” as the main factor for his denial.
“You also have a prior history of serious intimate partner violence, and your overall criminal history is lengthy, varied, and violent,” read the parole board’s decision, obtained by the Toronto Sun.
“Furthermore, you have a problematic and concerning supervision history, elevated actuarial risk scores, significant issues with self-control, ongoing institutional behaviour issues relating to self-management deficits, have made no discernible gains through program participation, and not engaged in the process of positive personal change, and have not presented a viable release plan.”
Valle-Quintero, 61, was born and raised in Cuba — where the decision notes he racked up a significant criminal record that included breaking-and-entering, theft and pimping out women.
In 1997, he married a Canadian tourist he met at a resort, and she sponsored his entry to Canada.
Valle-Quintero began cheating on his wife roughly a month after arriving in Canada, described as “volatile relationship” and target of his abuse — leading to charges of attempted murder and forcible confinement after he attempted to strangle his paramour to death in 1998.
Court records indicate Valle-Quintero — one day after being released from jail for domestic assault — ambushed the victim in her car and tied her up, taped up her mouth and nose, covered her head in a plastic bag and shoved her in the trunk of her car.
She managed to escape, and Valle-Quintero was sentenced to 11 years.
Valle-Quintero’s second victim, a 47-year-old bar manager, kept records of his abuse “so that he wouldn’t get away with killing her,” court records say.
Valle-Quintero was declared a dangerous offender in 2015, and is currently serving an indeterminate sentence.
The parole decision indicated Valle-Quintero wished to return to Cuba, either through deportation or an international transfer.
Valle-Quintero would need to be granted full parole before deportation proceedings can take place, the decision said, and be lodged in a halfway house pending due process at the hands of the Canada Border Services Agency.
The parole board also didn’t rule out the possibility of him being granted immigration bail if that process were to go forward.
— With files from Sam Pazzano, Toronto Sun files
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
torontosun.com
Dangerous offender Guillermo Valle-Quintero, who emigrated from Cuba in 1997, cannot be deported unless granted full parole, according to parole board
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
OTTAWA — Canada’s parole board has denied early release for a dangerous offender who terrorized two women shortly after emigrating from Cuba to Canada.
Guillermo Valle-Quintero, currently serving an indeterminate sentence for inflicting years of terrifying abuse upon two women, was denied release at a Parole Board of Canada hearing last month. The board listed his “significant number of violent offences committed persistently against a former intimate partner” as the main factor for his denial.
“You also have a prior history of serious intimate partner violence, and your overall criminal history is lengthy, varied, and violent,” read the parole board’s decision, obtained by the Toronto Sun.
“Furthermore, you have a problematic and concerning supervision history, elevated actuarial risk scores, significant issues with self-control, ongoing institutional behaviour issues relating to self-management deficits, have made no discernible gains through program participation, and not engaged in the process of positive personal change, and have not presented a viable release plan.”
Valle-Quintero, 61, was born and raised in Cuba — where the decision notes he racked up a significant criminal record that included breaking-and-entering, theft and pimping out women.
In 1997, he married a Canadian tourist he met at a resort, and she sponsored his entry to Canada.
Valle-Quintero began cheating on his wife roughly a month after arriving in Canada, described as “volatile relationship” and target of his abuse — leading to charges of attempted murder and forcible confinement after he attempted to strangle his paramour to death in 1998.
Court records indicate Valle-Quintero — one day after being released from jail for domestic assault — ambushed the victim in her car and tied her up, taped up her mouth and nose, covered her head in a plastic bag and shoved her in the trunk of her car.
She managed to escape, and Valle-Quintero was sentenced to 11 years.
Valle-Quintero’s second victim, a 47-year-old bar manager, kept records of his abuse “so that he wouldn’t get away with killing her,” court records say.
Valle-Quintero was declared a dangerous offender in 2015, and is currently serving an indeterminate sentence.
The parole decision indicated Valle-Quintero wished to return to Cuba, either through deportation or an international transfer.
Valle-Quintero would need to be granted full parole before deportation proceedings can take place, the decision said, and be lodged in a halfway house pending due process at the hands of the Canada Border Services Agency.
The parole board also didn’t rule out the possibility of him being granted immigration bail if that process were to go forward.
— With files from Sam Pazzano, Toronto Sun files
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
Parole board denies Cuban dangerous offender's bid for release
The parole board has denied early release for a dangerous offender who terrorized two women shortly after emigrating from Cuba to Canada.
Supreme Court of Canada weighs appeal application from Via Rail terror case
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 23 hours ago • 2 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Thursday whether to hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military troops from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser on the rail plot charge but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences: one count of conspiring to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group and two counts of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. Esseghaier was found guilty on all counts.
The two men appealed their convictions. Counsel for Jaser and a court-appointed lawyer for Esseghaier argued the jury at the trial was improperly constituted.
In August 2019, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a fresh trial for the men on the grounds that the jury was chosen incorrectly.
The Crown successfully argued in a subsequent Supreme Court hearing that the convictions should not be overturned on the basis of an error in the jury-selection process that did not deny the men fair trial rights.
With the jury issue settled, the top court remitted the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal to deal with the men’s outstanding challenges of their convictions.
While Esseghaier abandoned his appeal, Jaser persisted.
Last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Jaser’s challenge of his conviction and life sentence, prompting him to seek a fresh hearing at the Supreme Court.
In a written submission to the top court to request a hearing, Jaser’s lawyers say there is disagreement across Canada about how to instruct juries in conspiracy cases — a problem they say the court should address.
“Jury instructions on the law of conspiracy are too complex,” the brief says. “The facts of the proposed appeal present this Court with an ideal opportunity to guide trial judges on simplifying and distilling their instructions.”
Jaser’s lawyers also raise questions about the application of the Canada Evidence Act concerning sensitive information and whether “entrapment-like conduct” should be taken into account upon sentencing.
In a response to the Supreme Court, the Crown says Jaser’s application should be dismissed.
“These issues are not novel and were properly rejected by the Court of Appeal,” the Crown’s submission says. “Although the facts giving rise to them are unique, they are specific to the circumstances of the applicant and do not raise any issue of public importance.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 23 hours ago • 2 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Thursday whether to hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military troops from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser on the rail plot charge but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences: one count of conspiring to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group and two counts of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. Esseghaier was found guilty on all counts.
The two men appealed their convictions. Counsel for Jaser and a court-appointed lawyer for Esseghaier argued the jury at the trial was improperly constituted.
In August 2019, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a fresh trial for the men on the grounds that the jury was chosen incorrectly.
The Crown successfully argued in a subsequent Supreme Court hearing that the convictions should not be overturned on the basis of an error in the jury-selection process that did not deny the men fair trial rights.
With the jury issue settled, the top court remitted the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal to deal with the men’s outstanding challenges of their convictions.
While Esseghaier abandoned his appeal, Jaser persisted.
Last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Jaser’s challenge of his conviction and life sentence, prompting him to seek a fresh hearing at the Supreme Court.
In a written submission to the top court to request a hearing, Jaser’s lawyers say there is disagreement across Canada about how to instruct juries in conspiracy cases — a problem they say the court should address.
“Jury instructions on the law of conspiracy are too complex,” the brief says. “The facts of the proposed appeal present this Court with an ideal opportunity to guide trial judges on simplifying and distilling their instructions.”
Jaser’s lawyers also raise questions about the application of the Canada Evidence Act concerning sensitive information and whether “entrapment-like conduct” should be taken into account upon sentencing.
In a response to the Supreme Court, the Crown says Jaser’s application should be dismissed.
“These issues are not novel and were properly rejected by the Court of Appeal,” the Crown’s submission says. “Although the facts giving rise to them are unique, they are specific to the circumstances of the applicant and do not raise any issue of public importance.”
Supreme Court of Canada weighs appeal application from Via Rail terror case
The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Thursday whether to hear the appeal of Raed Jaser.
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal application arising from Via Rail terror case
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 07, 2025 • 1 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
Chiheb Esseghaier, left, and Raed Jaser are pictured at Toronto’s University Ave. courthouse on Jan. 29, 2015. Photo by PAM DAVIES SKETCH /TORONTO SUN
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest development in a legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser concerning the rail plot charge, but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences.
The Supreme Court, following its usual practice, did not provide reasons for refusing to review Jaser’s case.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 07, 2025 • 1 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
Chiheb Esseghaier, left, and Raed Jaser are pictured at Toronto’s University Ave. courthouse on Jan. 29, 2015. Photo by PAM DAVIES SKETCH /TORONTO SUN
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest development in a legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser concerning the rail plot charge, but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences.
The Supreme Court, following its usual practice, did not provide reasons for refusing to review Jaser’s case.
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal application arising from Via Rail terror case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Raed Jaser.
Which means "Petitioner failed to make a colourable claim of legal error in the court below."
Appeals aren't party favours. You don't get one just for showing up.
Girl Guides of Canada to suspend U.S. trips over Trump administration policies — CBC News
Girl Guides of Canada is suspending upcoming trips to the United States over concerns the Trump administration's changes at the border could affect some of its members.
Illlegal immigrant who raped and murdered Rachel Morin caged for life
U.S. President Donald Trump frequently shone the spotlight on Martinez-Hernandez as justification for a border crackdown
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Published Aug 13, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
RACHEL MORIN: Murdered. INSTAGRAM
Maryland mom Rachel Moring was murdered while running. INSTAGRAM
Cold-blooded killer Victor Martinez-Hernandez will never again see the light of day.
The 24-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for raping and killing mother-of-five Rachel Morin in Maryland.
Martinez-Hernandez became the poster boy for an American immigration system that had spiralled out of control with countless illegal immigrants being arrested for crimes like murder, sex and drug trafficking, and rape.
U.S. President Donald Trump frequently shone the spotlight on Martinez-Hernandez as justification for a border crackdown. Martinez-Hernandez was convicted earlier this year of the rape and murder of Morin, 37, on a hiking trail in Bel Air, Maryland, in August 2023.
Accused killer Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, left, composite, centre and victim Rachel Morin. FBI
Accused killer Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, left, composite. FBI
The killer first assaulted Morin, then battered her head with rocks before strangling her. He then hid her body in a drainage culvert.
DNA linked the killer to a home invasion the same year in Los Angeles. A little digging by cops revealed that Martinez-Hernandez was wanted in his native El Salvador for the murder of another woman.
In a victim impact statement written by Morin’s oldest daughter and read by the prosecutor, she outlined how the illegal immigrant had shattered her family forever.
She wrote: “Every milestone in my life is a reminder of what Victor Martinez-Hernandez has taken from me.”
Cops suspect the mystery man who murdered Rachel Morin is a serial killer. FACEBOOK
Rachel Morin. FACEBOOK
The killer showed little emotion as his bleak future was unveiled in court.
Judge Yolanda Curtin sentenced him to life for the first-degree murder conviction, life for the rape charge, and an additional 40 years for a third-degree sex offence and kidnapping charges. He will serve his sentence in a Maryland prison.
“Arguably, Harford County has never seen a case or a defendant more deserving of every single day of the maximum sentences this court imposed,” prosecutor Alison Healey said outside the courthouse.
Martinez-Hernandez evaded the U.S. Marshals during a 10-month manhunt until he was arrested in June 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
mystery man who murdered Rachel Morin is a serial killer. FACEBOOK
Rachel Morin. FACEBOOK
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Martinez-Hernandez illegally entered the U.S. and was sent back across the Mexico border three times in 2023. But on his fourth entry, he caught up with Morin and murdered her.
During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump zeroed in on the killer and others of his ilk in a pledge to shut the U.S.-Mexico border. His policies earned the support of Morin’s family.
Her brother, Michael Morin, addressed the Republican National Convention last summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“Open borders are often portrayed as compassionate and virtuous, but there is nothing compassionate about allowing violent criminals into our country and robbing children of their mother,” he said.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
torontosun.com
U.S. President Donald Trump frequently shone the spotlight on Martinez-Hernandez as justification for a border crackdown
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Published Aug 13, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
RACHEL MORIN: Murdered. INSTAGRAM
Maryland mom Rachel Moring was murdered while running. INSTAGRAM
Cold-blooded killer Victor Martinez-Hernandez will never again see the light of day.
The 24-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for raping and killing mother-of-five Rachel Morin in Maryland.
Martinez-Hernandez became the poster boy for an American immigration system that had spiralled out of control with countless illegal immigrants being arrested for crimes like murder, sex and drug trafficking, and rape.
U.S. President Donald Trump frequently shone the spotlight on Martinez-Hernandez as justification for a border crackdown. Martinez-Hernandez was convicted earlier this year of the rape and murder of Morin, 37, on a hiking trail in Bel Air, Maryland, in August 2023.
Accused killer Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, left, composite, centre and victim Rachel Morin. FBI
Accused killer Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, left, composite. FBI
The killer first assaulted Morin, then battered her head with rocks before strangling her. He then hid her body in a drainage culvert.
DNA linked the killer to a home invasion the same year in Los Angeles. A little digging by cops revealed that Martinez-Hernandez was wanted in his native El Salvador for the murder of another woman.
In a victim impact statement written by Morin’s oldest daughter and read by the prosecutor, she outlined how the illegal immigrant had shattered her family forever.
She wrote: “Every milestone in my life is a reminder of what Victor Martinez-Hernandez has taken from me.”
Cops suspect the mystery man who murdered Rachel Morin is a serial killer. FACEBOOK
Rachel Morin. FACEBOOK
The killer showed little emotion as his bleak future was unveiled in court.
Judge Yolanda Curtin sentenced him to life for the first-degree murder conviction, life for the rape charge, and an additional 40 years for a third-degree sex offence and kidnapping charges. He will serve his sentence in a Maryland prison.
“Arguably, Harford County has never seen a case or a defendant more deserving of every single day of the maximum sentences this court imposed,” prosecutor Alison Healey said outside the courthouse.
Martinez-Hernandez evaded the U.S. Marshals during a 10-month manhunt until he was arrested in June 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
mystery man who murdered Rachel Morin is a serial killer. FACEBOOK
Rachel Morin. FACEBOOK
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Martinez-Hernandez illegally entered the U.S. and was sent back across the Mexico border three times in 2023. But on his fourth entry, he caught up with Morin and murdered her.
During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump zeroed in on the killer and others of his ilk in a pledge to shut the U.S.-Mexico border. His policies earned the support of Morin’s family.
Her brother, Michael Morin, addressed the Republican National Convention last summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“Open borders are often portrayed as compassionate and virtuous, but there is nothing compassionate about allowing violent criminals into our country and robbing children of their mother,” he said.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
Illlegal immigrant who raped and murdered Rachel Morin caged for life
Cold-blooded killer Victor Martinez-Hernandez will never again see the light of day.
DeSantis plans second immigration detention facility in north Florida dubbed ’Deportation Depot’
The new facility is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Aug 14, 2025 • Last updated 19 hours ago • 4 minute read
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference about a recent immigration enforcement operation, at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations, May 1, 2025, in Miramar, Fla.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference about a recent immigration enforcement operation, at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations, May 1, 2025, in Miramar, Fla.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot” at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state’s holding center for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles (69 kilometers) west of downtown Jacksonville. It is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said.
After opening the Everglades facility last month, DeSantis justified building the second detention center by saying President Donald Trump’s administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants.
“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has trumpeted Republican governors’ efforts to expand their immigration detention capacity, calling Florida’s partnership a model for other state-run holding facilities.
DeSantis touted the relative ease and economy of setting up the north facility at a pre-existing prison, estimating the build-out cost to be $6 million. That’s compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars the state has committed to construct the vast network of tents and trailers at the south facility in the rugged and remote Florida swamp.
“This part of the facility is not being used right now for the state prisoners. It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply,” DeSantis said of the state prison, calling the site “ready-made.”
It could take two to three weeks to get the facility operational, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the agency in charge of building the immigration facilities.
The state had announced plans to “temporarily” close the prison in 2021, due to persistent staffing shortages.
“A building that’s been dormant now for a couple of years is going to have some unforeseen challenges,” Guthrie said when estimating the construction timeline.
Among the renovations needed: air conditioning, which is not required under Florida’s standards for its prisons, despite the state’s sweltering climate.
Staffing at the site will be handled by the Florida National Guard and state contractors “as needed,” DeSantis said. The state’s National Guard had been called on to help run the state’s prisons for more than two years due to chronic staff shortages, before being mobilized to support the state’s immigration enforcement efforts.
DeSantis had previously floated plans to open a second detention facility at a nearby Florida National Guard training facility known as Camp Blanding, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Jacksonville. The longstanding military installation was a major U.S. Army training facility during World War II and serves as a “continuity of government” site for Florida’s executive branch, according to the facility’s website.
But announcing the plans Thursday, DeSantis said the Baker facility was a better fit because of its available capacity and proximity to a regional airport.
“Blanding does have air capacity, but probably not a big enough runway to handle large planes,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis pledged that detainees at the new facility will have “the same services” that are available at the state’s first detention center.
Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions there deplorable, writing in a court filing that some detainees are showing symptoms of COVID-19 without being separated from the general population. Rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.
“Recent conditions at Alligator Alcatraz have fueled a sense of desperation among detainees,” the attorneys said in the court filing.
Conditions at the hastily built detention center were outlined in a filing made Wednesday ahead of a hearing Monday over the legal rights of the detainees. Civil rights attorneys want U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz to ensure that detainees at the facility have confidential access to their lawyers, which the lawyers say they haven’t had.
The state of Florida disputed that detainees’ attorneys have been unable to meet with their clients. Since July 15, when videoconferencing started at the facility, the state has granted every request for a detainee to meet with an attorney, and in-person meetings started July 28, state officials said. The first detainees arrived at the beginning of July.
Attorneys for detainees also wanted the judge to identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detention center so that petitions can be filed for the detainees’ bond or release. The civil rights attorneys say they’ve been told regularly that federal immigration courts in Florida don’t have jurisdiction over the detainees held in the Everglades.
torontosun.com
The new facility is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Aug 14, 2025 • Last updated 19 hours ago • 4 minute read
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference about a recent immigration enforcement operation, at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations, May 1, 2025, in Miramar, Fla.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference about a recent immigration enforcement operation, at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations, May 1, 2025, in Miramar, Fla.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot” at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state’s holding center for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles (69 kilometers) west of downtown Jacksonville. It is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said.
After opening the Everglades facility last month, DeSantis justified building the second detention center by saying President Donald Trump’s administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants.
“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has trumpeted Republican governors’ efforts to expand their immigration detention capacity, calling Florida’s partnership a model for other state-run holding facilities.
DeSantis touted the relative ease and economy of setting up the north facility at a pre-existing prison, estimating the build-out cost to be $6 million. That’s compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars the state has committed to construct the vast network of tents and trailers at the south facility in the rugged and remote Florida swamp.
“This part of the facility is not being used right now for the state prisoners. It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply,” DeSantis said of the state prison, calling the site “ready-made.”
It could take two to three weeks to get the facility operational, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the agency in charge of building the immigration facilities.
The state had announced plans to “temporarily” close the prison in 2021, due to persistent staffing shortages.
“A building that’s been dormant now for a couple of years is going to have some unforeseen challenges,” Guthrie said when estimating the construction timeline.
Among the renovations needed: air conditioning, which is not required under Florida’s standards for its prisons, despite the state’s sweltering climate.
Staffing at the site will be handled by the Florida National Guard and state contractors “as needed,” DeSantis said. The state’s National Guard had been called on to help run the state’s prisons for more than two years due to chronic staff shortages, before being mobilized to support the state’s immigration enforcement efforts.
DeSantis had previously floated plans to open a second detention facility at a nearby Florida National Guard training facility known as Camp Blanding, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Jacksonville. The longstanding military installation was a major U.S. Army training facility during World War II and serves as a “continuity of government” site for Florida’s executive branch, according to the facility’s website.
But announcing the plans Thursday, DeSantis said the Baker facility was a better fit because of its available capacity and proximity to a regional airport.
“Blanding does have air capacity, but probably not a big enough runway to handle large planes,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis pledged that detainees at the new facility will have “the same services” that are available at the state’s first detention center.
Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions there deplorable, writing in a court filing that some detainees are showing symptoms of COVID-19 without being separated from the general population. Rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.
“Recent conditions at Alligator Alcatraz have fueled a sense of desperation among detainees,” the attorneys said in the court filing.
Conditions at the hastily built detention center were outlined in a filing made Wednesday ahead of a hearing Monday over the legal rights of the detainees. Civil rights attorneys want U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz to ensure that detainees at the facility have confidential access to their lawyers, which the lawyers say they haven’t had.
The state of Florida disputed that detainees’ attorneys have been unable to meet with their clients. Since July 15, when videoconferencing started at the facility, the state has granted every request for a detainee to meet with an attorney, and in-person meetings started July 28, state officials said. The first detainees arrived at the beginning of July.
Attorneys for detainees also wanted the judge to identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detention center so that petitions can be filed for the detainees’ bond or release. The civil rights attorneys say they’ve been told regularly that federal immigration courts in Florida don’t have jurisdiction over the detainees held in the Everglades.
DeSantis plans second immigration detention facility in north Florida dubbed ’Deportation Depot’
The new facility is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000
American man seeks asylum in Windsor after kayaking into Canada
Author of the article:Millar Holmes-Hill
Published Aug 22, 2025 • 4 minute read
Dan Livers, of Michigan, who kayaked across the Detroit River on Aug. 5, 2025, is shown on the Windsor waterfront with Detroit in the background on Aug. 21, 2025.
Dan Livers, of Michigan, who kayaked across the Detroit River on Aug. 5, 2025, is shown on the Windsor waterfront with Detroit in the background on Aug. 21, 2025. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star
After kayaking across the Detroit River earlier this month, an American asylum-seeker stepped into Canada unsure of what to expect, but considers the reaction so far positive – including a stranger giving him $100.
“I hate the fact that I did what I did, but what was my choice? I was scared,” said Dan Livers, 51, of Michigan. “I hope to become a citizen.
“I would love to Stay in Canada.”
Livers told the Star that he set out from Michigan on Aug. 5, in a kayak he bought for $25 on Facebook Marketplace, paddled across the international border and landed at a spot in the Town of LaSalle, about 12 kilometres south of the Ambassador Bridge.
kayaker
Dan Livers, who kayaked to Canada earlier this month and claimed asylum, is pictured on Friday, August 22, 2025 in Windsor. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star
“It was a ‘junker,’ but hey, it was only going to make one trip,” Livers said of the kayak, adding he had made a prior scouting trip to check potential landing spots south of the border.
“I don’t recommend anybody do that.”
After pulling his kayak onto the sand, the U.S. Army veteran said he headed across the street to a very Canadian location, Tim Hortons, got a cup of coffee, and tried to “calm down.”
He tried to declare himself at a fire station, but staff told him they couldn’t assist.
“I was looking for a cop,” Livers said, recalling the six-hour wait before encountering one in LaSalle. “I wasn’t trying to hide from anybody — I turned myself over as soon as I could.”
kayak
Dan Livers, an American who kayaked across the Detroit River, shows his hat with American-Canadian friendship pins, on Aug. 21, 2025. WINDSOR STAR/Millar Holmes-Hill Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star
According to LaSalle police, at around 1 a.m. on Aug. 6, an officer conducting routine commercial property checks in the 1800 block of Front Road, spotted Livers at the water’s edge.
“The officer investigated and discovered the man was attempting to illegally enter Canada,” police said in a statement in at the time. “The 51-year-old man from the United States was detained and turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
The RCMP, which oversees border security beyond official crossings, confirmed Livers’s identify in an email to the Star on Friday.
A spokesperson said officers attended the scene to investigate and later handed him over to the Canada Border Services Agency for processing.
“Police of jurisdiction will call the RCMP or CBSA when they locate someone who has failed to present themselves on arrival at a customs office,” the statement read.
“In this case, LaSalle police called the CBSA who provided them direction and instructed them to call the RCMP.”
Livers, who has been granted temporary refugee status in Windsor, said he fled the U.S. fearing retaliation after criticizing a Michigan non-profit connected to state service dog programs.
“I left the country because I was afraid for my life,” he said. “Nobody wanted to live like that. I wanted to go somewhere that is peaceful.”
Drew Porter, a Windsor immigration lawyer licensed in Ontario and Michigan, said asylum seekers must demonstrate a “well-founded” fear of persecution to have their claims considered.
“In terms of obtaining Canadian citizenship, he would first have to go through the process of applying for asylum,” Porter told the Star. “If approved, it would then situate him as a lawful Canadian permanent resident.
“After three years — or 1,095 days — he can then apply for citizenship.”
Livers will need to prove that he faces a real threat of serious harm in the U.S., and that he cannot safely remain anywhere in the country.
That decision will likely fall to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, the independent tribunal responsible for making decisions on immigration and refugee matters.
In the first six months of 2025, more Americans sought refugee status in Canada than during all of 2024 — and more than in any full year since 2019, according to new figures cited by Reuters from Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board.
Still, U.S. claims make up only a small fraction of the overall total — 245 of about 55,000 — and Canada has rarely accepted them.
Under a bilateral agreement, most asylum seekers who enter from the U.S. are sent back on the grounds that they should apply in the first “safe” country they reached.
Reuters noted that 204 people applied for refugee protection in Canada last year, claiming persecution in the United States. Numbers also rose during Donald Trump’s first presidency.
It could take months, even years, before Livers learns whether his asylum bid will succeed, as Ottawa works through a backlog of refugee claims.
For now, Livers calls the Downtown Mission home, as he prepares for his first appearance with the board on Sept. 2.
Besides lodging and food, Livers enjoyed another benefit while staying at the Downtown Mission. Someone anonymously dropped off an envelope with a $100 bill inside, specifically for Livers.
He said he felt choked up by that act of generosity from a complete stranger.
“I love Canada,” he said. “I’m right where I want to be. These are the sweetest people I’ve ever met in my life.”
mholmeshill@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Millar Holmes-Hill
Published Aug 22, 2025 • 4 minute read
Dan Livers, of Michigan, who kayaked across the Detroit River on Aug. 5, 2025, is shown on the Windsor waterfront with Detroit in the background on Aug. 21, 2025.
Dan Livers, of Michigan, who kayaked across the Detroit River on Aug. 5, 2025, is shown on the Windsor waterfront with Detroit in the background on Aug. 21, 2025. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star
After kayaking across the Detroit River earlier this month, an American asylum-seeker stepped into Canada unsure of what to expect, but considers the reaction so far positive – including a stranger giving him $100.
“I hate the fact that I did what I did, but what was my choice? I was scared,” said Dan Livers, 51, of Michigan. “I hope to become a citizen.
“I would love to Stay in Canada.”
Livers told the Star that he set out from Michigan on Aug. 5, in a kayak he bought for $25 on Facebook Marketplace, paddled across the international border and landed at a spot in the Town of LaSalle, about 12 kilometres south of the Ambassador Bridge.
kayaker
Dan Livers, who kayaked to Canada earlier this month and claimed asylum, is pictured on Friday, August 22, 2025 in Windsor. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star
“It was a ‘junker,’ but hey, it was only going to make one trip,” Livers said of the kayak, adding he had made a prior scouting trip to check potential landing spots south of the border.
“I don’t recommend anybody do that.”
After pulling his kayak onto the sand, the U.S. Army veteran said he headed across the street to a very Canadian location, Tim Hortons, got a cup of coffee, and tried to “calm down.”
He tried to declare himself at a fire station, but staff told him they couldn’t assist.
“I was looking for a cop,” Livers said, recalling the six-hour wait before encountering one in LaSalle. “I wasn’t trying to hide from anybody — I turned myself over as soon as I could.”
kayak
Dan Livers, an American who kayaked across the Detroit River, shows his hat with American-Canadian friendship pins, on Aug. 21, 2025. WINDSOR STAR/Millar Holmes-Hill Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star
According to LaSalle police, at around 1 a.m. on Aug. 6, an officer conducting routine commercial property checks in the 1800 block of Front Road, spotted Livers at the water’s edge.
“The officer investigated and discovered the man was attempting to illegally enter Canada,” police said in a statement in at the time. “The 51-year-old man from the United States was detained and turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
The RCMP, which oversees border security beyond official crossings, confirmed Livers’s identify in an email to the Star on Friday.
A spokesperson said officers attended the scene to investigate and later handed him over to the Canada Border Services Agency for processing.
“Police of jurisdiction will call the RCMP or CBSA when they locate someone who has failed to present themselves on arrival at a customs office,” the statement read.
“In this case, LaSalle police called the CBSA who provided them direction and instructed them to call the RCMP.”
Livers, who has been granted temporary refugee status in Windsor, said he fled the U.S. fearing retaliation after criticizing a Michigan non-profit connected to state service dog programs.
“I left the country because I was afraid for my life,” he said. “Nobody wanted to live like that. I wanted to go somewhere that is peaceful.”
Drew Porter, a Windsor immigration lawyer licensed in Ontario and Michigan, said asylum seekers must demonstrate a “well-founded” fear of persecution to have their claims considered.
“In terms of obtaining Canadian citizenship, he would first have to go through the process of applying for asylum,” Porter told the Star. “If approved, it would then situate him as a lawful Canadian permanent resident.
“After three years — or 1,095 days — he can then apply for citizenship.”
Livers will need to prove that he faces a real threat of serious harm in the U.S., and that he cannot safely remain anywhere in the country.
That decision will likely fall to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, the independent tribunal responsible for making decisions on immigration and refugee matters.
In the first six months of 2025, more Americans sought refugee status in Canada than during all of 2024 — and more than in any full year since 2019, according to new figures cited by Reuters from Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board.
Still, U.S. claims make up only a small fraction of the overall total — 245 of about 55,000 — and Canada has rarely accepted them.
Under a bilateral agreement, most asylum seekers who enter from the U.S. are sent back on the grounds that they should apply in the first “safe” country they reached.
Reuters noted that 204 people applied for refugee protection in Canada last year, claiming persecution in the United States. Numbers also rose during Donald Trump’s first presidency.
It could take months, even years, before Livers learns whether his asylum bid will succeed, as Ottawa works through a backlog of refugee claims.
For now, Livers calls the Downtown Mission home, as he prepares for his first appearance with the board on Sept. 2.
Besides lodging and food, Livers enjoyed another benefit while staying at the Downtown Mission. Someone anonymously dropped off an envelope with a $100 bill inside, specifically for Livers.
He said he felt choked up by that act of generosity from a complete stranger.
“I love Canada,” he said. “I’m right where I want to be. These are the sweetest people I’ve ever met in my life.”
mholmeshill@postmedia.com
'I was scared' — American man seeks asylum in Windsor after kayaking into Canada
'I was scared' — American man seeks asylum in Windsor after kayaking into Canada
Liberals promised fewer temporary foreign workers, instead we got more
Latest release of immigration numbers shows Liberals blowing past reduced targets for foreign workers
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Aug 25, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute read
The Mark Carney Liberals proposed to cap the number of temporary foreign workers, but they just blew past their target, Brian Lilley writes.
Do you remember when the Liberals in Ottawa promised to curb immigration, which had gotten out of control?
Seems they don’t remember, either, because the latest figures show that they are going well above what they promised to drop them down to.
What’s worse is that even with high unemployment and a housing crisis, a significant percentage of people coming into Canada are temporary residents on a work permit.
“While Canada faces the lowest youth employment since 1998, the Liberals are on track to issue the most temporary foreign worker visas in a single year,” Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said in a statement Monday.
Late last year, the federal Liberal government said it would cap the number of people entering Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program at 82,000 for 2025, but so far this year they’ve allowed in 105,000. Meanwhile, the International Mobility Program was supposed to be capped at 285,000 and in the first six months, but we’ve added 302,000 through this program.
“Mark Carney promised to fix it, but these results show he’s worse. He supports the same out-of-control Liberal immigration policies that delivered a triple-header crisis in housing, health care and youth unemployment,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said.
“These breaking numbers blow through the government’s own targets midway through the year with some on course to be the highest on record.”
No wonder the Carney government was hiding immigration data.
Earlier this month, Rempel Garner had revealed the government’s open-data website had not been updating their immigration figures for the last several months. At the time, the government said it was reviewing how these figures would be presented.
Late Friday, the numbers were quietly released. Like we are seeing on other fronts, those numbers show Prime Minister Mark Carney not living up to what he promised Canadians during the election campaign.
The Liberals have been promising to curb immigration since April 2024, when Justin Trudeau famously said that we were bringing people in faster than we could absorb them. Last November, the Trudeau Liberals – whom Carney advised – promised to reduce numbers, thus the proposed caps that they have blown past.
And during the election campaign in April, Carney blamed the Trudeau government for creating this mess and promised to fix it.
“Since the pandemic, the previous federal government has let immigration levels grow at a rapid and unsustainable pace, with our housing and social infrastructure failing to absorb all the people arriving,” the Liberal platform said.
“The government has a responsibility to those who come here to ensure that they have access to jobs, social services, and housing. If we cannot meet those responsibilities, we need to adjust the numbers until we get back on track.”
The Conservatives are calling the intake numbers of temporary residents reckless, especially given high unemployment. They also point out that the promise by the Carney Liberals to lower the number of permanent residents will still end up being much higher than Canada’s historical averages.
“Moreover, their so-called caps on permanent residents were already among the highest in our history, yet they’re on track to exceed their own reckless targets, welcoming the equivalent of twice the population of Guelph and four times the population of Abbotsford, (B.C.),” Poilievre said.
Between 2000 and 2020, Canada’s annual immigration intake of permanent residents ranged between 200,000 and 300,000 per year. Over the last several years, the Liberals increased it to 500,000 and now under Carney are proposing to bring in just under 400,000 new people per year.
We are still bringing in people faster than we can absorb them, meaning it’s time to hit the brakes on immigration.
liberal.ca
canada.ca
torontosun.com
Latest release of immigration numbers shows Liberals blowing past reduced targets for foreign workers
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Aug 25, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute read
The Mark Carney Liberals proposed to cap the number of temporary foreign workers, but they just blew past their target, Brian Lilley writes.
Do you remember when the Liberals in Ottawa promised to curb immigration, which had gotten out of control?
Seems they don’t remember, either, because the latest figures show that they are going well above what they promised to drop them down to.
What’s worse is that even with high unemployment and a housing crisis, a significant percentage of people coming into Canada are temporary residents on a work permit.
“While Canada faces the lowest youth employment since 1998, the Liberals are on track to issue the most temporary foreign worker visas in a single year,” Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said in a statement Monday.
Late last year, the federal Liberal government said it would cap the number of people entering Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program at 82,000 for 2025, but so far this year they’ve allowed in 105,000. Meanwhile, the International Mobility Program was supposed to be capped at 285,000 and in the first six months, but we’ve added 302,000 through this program.
“Mark Carney promised to fix it, but these results show he’s worse. He supports the same out-of-control Liberal immigration policies that delivered a triple-header crisis in housing, health care and youth unemployment,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said.
“These breaking numbers blow through the government’s own targets midway through the year with some on course to be the highest on record.”
No wonder the Carney government was hiding immigration data.
Earlier this month, Rempel Garner had revealed the government’s open-data website had not been updating their immigration figures for the last several months. At the time, the government said it was reviewing how these figures would be presented.
Late Friday, the numbers were quietly released. Like we are seeing on other fronts, those numbers show Prime Minister Mark Carney not living up to what he promised Canadians during the election campaign.
The Liberals have been promising to curb immigration since April 2024, when Justin Trudeau famously said that we were bringing people in faster than we could absorb them. Last November, the Trudeau Liberals – whom Carney advised – promised to reduce numbers, thus the proposed caps that they have blown past.
And during the election campaign in April, Carney blamed the Trudeau government for creating this mess and promised to fix it.
“Since the pandemic, the previous federal government has let immigration levels grow at a rapid and unsustainable pace, with our housing and social infrastructure failing to absorb all the people arriving,” the Liberal platform said.
“The government has a responsibility to those who come here to ensure that they have access to jobs, social services, and housing. If we cannot meet those responsibilities, we need to adjust the numbers until we get back on track.”
The Conservatives are calling the intake numbers of temporary residents reckless, especially given high unemployment. They also point out that the promise by the Carney Liberals to lower the number of permanent residents will still end up being much higher than Canada’s historical averages.
“Moreover, their so-called caps on permanent residents were already among the highest in our history, yet they’re on track to exceed their own reckless targets, welcoming the equivalent of twice the population of Guelph and four times the population of Abbotsford, (B.C.),” Poilievre said.
Between 2000 and 2020, Canada’s annual immigration intake of permanent residents ranged between 200,000 and 300,000 per year. Over the last several years, the Liberals increased it to 500,000 and now under Carney are proposing to bring in just under 400,000 new people per year.
We are still bringing in people faster than we can absorb them, meaning it’s time to hit the brakes on immigration.
Build | Liberal Party of Canada
We used to build things in this country. Over our history, we have shown that we can come together to build big infrastructure that ties us more closely together, from a railway that spanned this country to the Trans-Canada Highway to the St. Lawrence Seaway. It’s time to build again. To build a...
liberal.ca
CIMM – Temporary Foreign Worker Program – November 25, 2024 - Canada.ca
CIMM – Temporary Foreign Worker Program – November 25, 2024
LILLEY: Liberals promised fewer temporary foreign workers, instead we got more
The Mark Carney Liberals proposed to cap the number of temporary foreign workers, but they just blew past their target.
How do you get 50 urban youth on a bus to rural areas to pick fruit and live in huts for minimum wage? Free WiFi?Liberals promised fewer temporary foreign workers, instead we got more
Latest release of immigration numbers shows Liberals blowing past reduced targets for foreign workers
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Aug 25, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute read
The Mark Carney Liberals proposed to cap the number of temporary foreign workers, but they just blew past their target, Brian Lilley writes.
Do you remember when the Liberals in Ottawa promised to curb immigration, which had gotten out of control?
Seems they don’t remember, either, because the latest figures show that they are going well above what they promised to drop them down to.
What’s worse is that even with high unemployment and a housing crisis, a significant percentage of people coming into Canada are temporary residents on a work permit.
“While Canada faces the lowest youth employment since 1998, the Liberals are on track to issue the most temporary foreign worker visas in a single year,” Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said in a statement Monday.
Late last year, the federal Liberal government said it would cap the number of people entering Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program at 82,000 for 2025, but so far this year they’ve allowed in 105,000. Meanwhile, the International Mobility Program was supposed to be capped at 285,000 and in the first six months, but we’ve added 302,000 through this program.
“Mark Carney promised to fix it, but these results show he’s worse. He supports the same out-of-control Liberal immigration policies that delivered a triple-header crisis in housing, health care and youth unemployment,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said.
“These breaking numbers blow through the government’s own targets midway through the year with some on course to be the highest on record.”
No wonder the Carney government was hiding immigration data.
Earlier this month, Rempel Garner had revealed the government’s open-data website had not been updating their immigration figures for the last several months. At the time, the government said it was reviewing how these figures would be presented.
Late Friday, the numbers were quietly released. Like we are seeing on other fronts, those numbers show Prime Minister Mark Carney not living up to what he promised Canadians during the election campaign.
The Liberals have been promising to curb immigration since April 2024, when Justin Trudeau famously said that we were bringing people in faster than we could absorb them. Last November, the Trudeau Liberals – whom Carney advised – promised to reduce numbers, thus the proposed caps that they have blown past.
And during the election campaign in April, Carney blamed the Trudeau government for creating this mess and promised to fix it.
“Since the pandemic, the previous federal government has let immigration levels grow at a rapid and unsustainable pace, with our housing and social infrastructure failing to absorb all the people arriving,” the Liberal platform said.
“The government has a responsibility to those who come here to ensure that they have access to jobs, social services, and housing. If we cannot meet those responsibilities, we need to adjust the numbers until we get back on track.”
The Conservatives are calling the intake numbers of temporary residents reckless, especially given high unemployment. They also point out that the promise by the Carney Liberals to lower the number of permanent residents will still end up being much higher than Canada’s historical averages.
“Moreover, their so-called caps on permanent residents were already among the highest in our history, yet they’re on track to exceed their own reckless targets, welcoming the equivalent of twice the population of Guelph and four times the population of Abbotsford, (B.C.),” Poilievre said.
Between 2000 and 2020, Canada’s annual immigration intake of permanent residents ranged between 200,000 and 300,000 per year. Over the last several years, the Liberals increased it to 500,000 and now under Carney are proposing to bring in just under 400,000 new people per year.
We are still bringing in people faster than we can absorb them, meaning it’s time to hit the brakes on immigration.
Build | Liberal Party of Canada
We used to build things in this country. Over our history, we have shown that we can come together to build big infrastructure that ties us more closely together, from a railway that spanned this country to the Trans-Canada Highway to the St. Lawrence Seaway. It’s time to build again. To build a...CIMM – Temporary Foreign Worker Program – November 25, 2024 - Canada.ca
CIMM – Temporary Foreign Worker Program – November 25, 2024LILLEY: Liberals promised fewer temporary foreign workers, instead we got more
The Mark Carney Liberals proposed to cap the number of temporary foreign workers, but they just blew past their target.
Yep. Turns out a five-foot, 102-pound Mexican woman with two kids on her back can out-work a big ol' Norte conservative without even thinking about it.
Unless the "work" is running their mouths, that is.
2.7M people sign petition of support of illegal truck driver after deadly Florida crash
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Aug 25, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant who is facing three charges of vehicular homicide after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving a tractor-trailer on Aug. 12.
Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant who is facing three charges of vehicular homicide after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving a tractor-trailer on Aug. 12. change.org
A petition calling for leniency for an illegal immigrant trucker who killed three people in Florida has received millions of signatures.
Harjinder Singh, 28, is facing three charges of vehicular homicide after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving a tractor-trailer earlier this month.
A change.org petition signed by more than 2.7 million people is urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to show leniency toward Singh and reexamine the case.
The truck driver faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
“This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act. While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident,” the petition reads.
“By granting clemency, you would reaffirm the value of proportional justice, the power of community advocacy, and the potential for rehabilitation.”
The U.S. Marshals Service says the Indian native entered the country illegally in 2018.
At the time, he was detained by Border Patrol and released on a $5,000 bond.
His immigration case was still pending at the time of the fatal crash.
Singh was operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce, about 110 kilometres north of West Palm Beach, on Aug. 12 when he allegedly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized area, according to authorities.
A minivan in the next lane was unable to avoid the truck’s trailer and slammed into it, killing a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach, a 54-year-old man from Miami, and a 30-year-old driver from Florida City.
Singh was arrested by U.S. Marshals in California and brought back to Florida to face trial.
Most supporters pointed out Singh’s clean record and full cooperation with authorities, arguing that while Singh “made a terrible mistake,” it was “not intentional.”
One noted: “He was working hard to support his family, like so many of us, and one wrong decision changed everything. A 45-year prison sentence is not justice.”
Meanwhile, a counter-petition launched by a “heritage American” truck driver is calling for the deportation of Singh’s supporters, proposing a commutation.
It has garnered more than 27,000 signatures as of Monday.
Singh obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California, the Department of Homeland Security said.
California is one of 19 states, along with the District of Columbia, that issue licenses regardless of immigration status, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said issuing a commercial license to someone in the U.S. illegally is “asinine.”
Newsom’s press office responded on platform X that Singh obtained a work permit while Donald Trump was president, which McLaughlin disputed.
Since the crash has made headlines, sparking reaction to illegal truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will pause issuing work visas to some foreign truck drivers.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” he wrote on X on Thursday.
Homeland Security described Singh as “a significant threat to public safety” due to the seriousness of the crash and denied him bond.
torontosun.com
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Aug 25, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant who is facing three charges of vehicular homicide after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving a tractor-trailer on Aug. 12.
Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant who is facing three charges of vehicular homicide after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving a tractor-trailer on Aug. 12. change.org
A petition calling for leniency for an illegal immigrant trucker who killed three people in Florida has received millions of signatures.
Harjinder Singh, 28, is facing three charges of vehicular homicide after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving a tractor-trailer earlier this month.
A change.org petition signed by more than 2.7 million people is urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to show leniency toward Singh and reexamine the case.
The truck driver faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
“This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act. While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident,” the petition reads.
“By granting clemency, you would reaffirm the value of proportional justice, the power of community advocacy, and the potential for rehabilitation.”
The U.S. Marshals Service says the Indian native entered the country illegally in 2018.
At the time, he was detained by Border Patrol and released on a $5,000 bond.
His immigration case was still pending at the time of the fatal crash.
Singh was operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce, about 110 kilometres north of West Palm Beach, on Aug. 12 when he allegedly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized area, according to authorities.
A minivan in the next lane was unable to avoid the truck’s trailer and slammed into it, killing a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach, a 54-year-old man from Miami, and a 30-year-old driver from Florida City.
Singh was arrested by U.S. Marshals in California and brought back to Florida to face trial.
Most supporters pointed out Singh’s clean record and full cooperation with authorities, arguing that while Singh “made a terrible mistake,” it was “not intentional.”
One noted: “He was working hard to support his family, like so many of us, and one wrong decision changed everything. A 45-year prison sentence is not justice.”
Meanwhile, a counter-petition launched by a “heritage American” truck driver is calling for the deportation of Singh’s supporters, proposing a commutation.
It has garnered more than 27,000 signatures as of Monday.
Singh obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California, the Department of Homeland Security said.
California is one of 19 states, along with the District of Columbia, that issue licenses regardless of immigration status, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said issuing a commercial license to someone in the U.S. illegally is “asinine.”
Newsom’s press office responded on platform X that Singh obtained a work permit while Donald Trump was president, which McLaughlin disputed.
Since the crash has made headlines, sparking reaction to illegal truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will pause issuing work visas to some foreign truck drivers.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” he wrote on X on Thursday.
Homeland Security described Singh as “a significant threat to public safety” due to the seriousness of the crash and denied him bond.
2.7M people sign petition of support of illegal truck driver after deadly Florida crash
A petition calling for leniency for an illegal truck driver who killed three in Florida has received millions of signatures.