The president of the union representing Canadian border officers has raised concerns about the government’s shift towards automating the refugee claimant process, citing potential security risks. The Canada Border Services Agency has firmly denied these claims.
The focus of the controversy lies on the CBSA’s One Touch intake system, which came under scrutiny after Mark Weber, president of the Customs and Immigration Union, expressed worries about reduced human interaction at the border during a testimony before the standing committee on citizenship and immigration.
Weber emphasized the importance of face-to-face interactions for security screening and verifying the authenticity of asylum claims, which was a standard practice before the implementation of the One Touch model. This model, initiated in 2022 and now operational nationwide, targets processing “low-risk” claimants efficiently while handling a large influx of asylum seekers.
Under the new system, eligible claimants undergo a brief assessment by an officer and provide biometric data like fingerprints and photos. Those flagged as high risk still go through in-person processing, while low-risk claimants are given 45 days to complete their forms online. Weber criticized the initial risk assessment as superficial, stating that it no longer ensures the genuineness of claimants’ stories.
Additionally, Weber highlighted that approximately 10% of claimants fail to submit the required forms, leading to challenges in tracking them down for potential removal, allowing some individuals to evade detection and disappear into Canada.
Despite these concerns, Aaron McCrorie, vice-president of intelligence and enforcement at the CBSA, defended the One Touch model, emphasizing the multiple layers of defense in place. McCrorie assured that individuals claiming asylum at entry points undergo thorough risk assessments and identity verification processes using biometric information and database checks.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner expressed alarm over the potential weaknesses in the new system and called for further scrutiny. The government has pledged to recruit 1,000 additional border officers as part of its border security strategy.