Migrant Smuggling
What is Migrant Smuggling?
Migrant Smuggling is the facilitation of illegal entry into a country where the migrant is not a national or resident. Migrant Smuggling takes place when the person being transported is consenting and is paying the smuggler for their services. This can be done via sea, air, and land.
The criminals who assist in smuggling the migrants seize the opportunity created by the need or desire of people to escape poverty, natural disasters, conflict, political instability, and lack of employment services. Migrant Smuggling is a highly profitable business for these criminals.
Transportations Conditions
- Dangerous/Life threatening conditions
- Starvation and dehydration
- Overcrowding and small spaces
- Physical and psychological violence
- Unsanitary environment
- Technical issues while on route
When migrants and their families pay large sums of money to migrant smugglers for their transportation services, they are contributing to the lucrative business of illegal migration and organized crime networks that smugglers are involved in.
Dangers of Being Smuggled
- Smuggled migrants are vulnerable to exploitation and may fall victim to other crimes such as, human trafficking, forced sex work, drug trafficking, etc.
- In come cases, migrants being smuggled have suffocated in containers, perished in deserts or drowned at sea while on their journey to another country.
- Treatment of migrants by their smugglers can include violence, intimidation, sexual assault, torture and at times, murder.
- Though migrants may make it to Canada, they are not guaranteed entry and may be sent back to their country.
Good to know
Given the inherent dangers of migrant smuggling, Canadian law enforcement works collaboratively with international partners to address criminal migrant smuggling operations.
See it. Hear it. Report it.
File a report to your police of jurisdiction.
- Date modified: