The RCMP’s border unit has arrested people they believe to be a human smuggler and a migrant in Montreal, the federal police force said Thursday.
Both arrests resulted from a search in the city’s Montreal North borough, which the RCMP says is connected with an investigation into a suspected human-smuggling ring. As of Thursday morning, the RCMP said the search is continuing.
A Montreal North residence was used to “temporarily house migrants that were coming in from the States,” RCMP Const. Marie-Pierre Guertin said, as well as southbound migrants who planned to cross into the United States.
The alleged smuggling network might have advertised its services through Snapchat and WhatsApp, Guertin said.
Police believe the residence is part of the same network of alleged smugglers connected with a June 2 incident in which police say a man alleged to be a human smuggler intentionally drove his vehicle into an RCMP cruiser.
The suspect, Chetan Kumar, is facing four charges: two counts of assaulting a peace officer, the dangerous operation of a conveyance and failure to stop following an accident. The officer injured in the incident suffered minor injuries to his foot, Guertin said.
The duo arrested Thursday will be questioned by police, Guertin said. The person alleged to be a smuggler will be released with a requirement to reappear, she said, suggesting that he might face charges of organizing entry into Canada or conspiring to commit an offence outside Canada.
The suspected migrant is expected to be transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency, Guertin said, where they are likely to face deportation to the United States.
An agreement between Canada and the United States bars many migrants from claiming asylum at the border.
As a result, some asylum seekers can only claim refugee status in Canada if they manage to cross the border and evade police detection for 14 days.
Advocates have suggested the restriction can place migrants in dangerous situations as they attempt to hide from authorities.
While Guertin said that networks have always existed to facilitate crossings between the U.S. and Canada, she said the networks have become more organized since 2023, when the border agreement came into effect.
This report will be updated.
I’ve reported for The Gazette since 2024. I love covering a good politics story, but any day I tell Montrealers something new about the world around them feels like a good one. Got a tip for me? Email me at jawilson@postmedia.com
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