Immigration Without Proper Screening Is Opening the Door to Security Threats in Canada

Most notably, a Pakistani national and Canadian resident was arrested for allegedly planning an attack on Jewish individuals in New York in the name of ISIS. Prior to that, the RCMP arrested a father and son duo—Ahmed and Mostafa Eldidi—who were allegedly on the brink of carrying out a mass casualty attack.

Following Canadian tradition, a House of Commons committee was promptly convened, featuring the public safety minister and officials from the Canada Border Services Agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and the RCMP. Despite a major oversight in allowing this ISIS-affiliated individual into Canada, no one has taken accountability for the error.

The question arises: What went wrong? Without access to internal data, several scenarios can be considered:

• The pressure to accommodate a high number of newcomers may have led some departments to advise security screeners to bypass certain procedures, the acceptability of which remains unclear;
• If CSIS, the primary security screening body, missed something, it is likely due to a heavy workload and limited resources (potentially influenced by the government’s target of 500,000 newcomers);
• Screeners may not have sufficient time to thoroughly search all databases, including the dark web, to make informed decisions. Given ISIS’s use of propaganda videos, it is doubtful that this particular film would not have been widely available to those involved in security matters.

Regarding the implications of the Eldidi case, there are significant concerns. The intelligence on the father-son duo likely originated from an allied service, possibly the French. This raises doubts within the intelligence community about Canada’s commitment to national security. The thought of a newly naturalized citizen like Ahmed Eldidi potentially crossing into the US to carry out his plans is alarming. Relying heavily on international partners’ goodwill is not a sustainable approach.

Most concerning is the idea that an immigrant could perpetrate violence in the name of ISIS, impacting public perceptions of immigration. Incidents like the false information leading to riots in the UK and the German government contemplating immigration system changes after a deadly attack by an ISIS sympathizer highlight the gravity of the situation.