Illegal immigrant sees no deportation in sight following targeted retail thefts

Singh, 30, came to Canada in 2016 to study culinary arts but later developed a drug addiction that led to a life of retail crime. He has been under a removal order since Oct. 2022.

Photo by Wyron A on Unsplash

Author: Alex Dhaliwal

An Ontario judge expressed no confidence that CBSA will deport a repeat LCBO thief, despite a standing removal order.

“Put bluntly,” Justice Michael K. Wendl wrote, “a deportation order has been in place for nearly four years… yet no action has been taken,” adding he has “no confidence” CBSA will deport Manjeet Singh.

CBSA, which enforces Canada’s immigration and customs laws, is responsible for detaining and removing inadmissible foreign nationals and permanent residents, often for serious criminality.

Non-citizens who commit crimes may face removal orders requiring deportation, but enforcement can face delays or other obstacles.

Singh, 30, is in Canada without status after arriving in 2016 to study culinary arts and later developing a pandemic-era drug addiction that led to a criminal record. He has been under a removal order since Oct. 2022.

In his decision, the Ontario judge wrote that the repeat offender travelled across the province targeting specific retailers.

Singh pleaded guilty to multiple LCBO thefts and breaching probation after stealing 39 bottles worth $3,268.30 from two Hamilton stores last year. He is now barred from all LCBO locations, according to the National Post.

“This is an organized and systematic campaign targeting LCBO with the intent to steal thousands of dollars of alcohol,” Wendl wrote, noting Canadian retailers lose over $4B annually to crime.

Thus, Wendl imposed a 12-month sentence on Singh for theft and 60 days for probation breach, to be served concurrently, warning organized LCBO theft “will be severely sanctioned.”

The illegal immigrant had prior theft convictions and was already serving an eight-month sentence, having spent about 45 days in custody in 2024 and over five months in 2025 on robbery and theft charges without being removed.

The Ontario judge rejected a joint 90-day sentence for the repeat offender and instead imposed 12 months, saying it would bring the justice system into disrepute. Judges must accept joint submissions unless that threshold is met.

The harsher sentence hedges on the hope that Singh, a repeat offender, would be deported once he serves his sentence.

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), inadmissible individuals must be removed. However, it remains unclear whether that will actually happen.

Wendl said the inaction could affect sentencing, saying “bare assertion” of immigration consequences may no longer be enough without evidence.

Delays can create a gap between policy and enforcement, legal experts say.

The border agency earlier disclosed to the Commons public safety committee that a federal wanted list of foreign fugitives includes 32,000 people, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

On Oct. 23, CBSA president Erin O’Gorman said the agency has about 500 removal officers, calling their work “an excellent job” and noting they “are following up on their files” and carrying out daily removals.

“We have 32,000 warrants for people that we are looking for,” she told MPs at the time, representing a 14 per cent increase year over year. The previous figure included 410 convicted criminals and 236 wanted for criminality abroad.