What is human smuggling?
It’s the illegal movement of people across international borders – usually for a great deal of money. Canada and the United States share the world’s longest undefended border, and it has many gaps where people try to sneak from one country into the other. Often, they have come from someplace else, stay in Canada briefly and then head south to the United States. Sometimes, smugglers try to sneak migrants into Canada aboard cargo or fishing ships. There have been several high-profile cases in recent years: • In November 2000, a boat jammed with 122 Chinese nationals trying to sneak into Canada was found in Nootka Sound, about 300 kilometres northwest of Victoria. They had spent 39 days on the ship and had reportedly paid smugglers $38,000 US to get them into Canada. • In August 1986, more than 150 Tamils were found in two lifeboats off Newfoundland. They claimed refugee status, and many settled in Montreal and Toronto. • In 1987, 174 people, most of them Indian Sikhs, waded ashore in a s
