Between April 2025 and March 2026, the number of arrest and detention cases involving Canadian citizens in the United States surged by 60 per cent, according to Global Affairs Canada’s annual report on consular cases published Thursday. The statistical spike occurred despite a simultaneous 25 per cent drop in overall visits by Canadians to the U.S., falling from 26.8 million visits in 2024–25 down to 20 million visits in 2025–26.
Green Card Holders and Long-Term Residents Caught in the Dragnet
Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer based in Blaine, Washington, just south of Vancouver, noted that the individuals facing legal peril are not merely casual shoppers crossing the border for an afternoon. These are long-term residents, workers, and green card holders deeply integrated into American communities.
“A lot of Canadians are caught up in this dragnet,” said Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer based in Blaine, Wash., just south of Vancouver. “These are not people that live in Canada and come shopping down here. These are people like me who live here, who work here and who have green cards, and they’re concerned about their status now.”
Global Affairs recorded 577 cases of Canadians arrested or detained in the U.S. during the 2025–26 fiscal year, a sharp rise from 361 cases the previous year. While the federal consular report does not explicitly detail what drove the increase, U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up immigration raids following his return to the White House in January 2025. Since then, Canadians have reported encountering uncomfortable questioning at the border, with federal immigration officials detaining individuals over minor infractions.
Saunders explained that many of his clients have lived in the United States for decades, maintaining marriages to American citizens, raising American children, or collecting U.S. pensions. Some believed they resided in the country legally until receiving unexpected visits from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, while others were flagged for questioning upon returning from brief day trips to Vancouver or Windsor, Ontario.
Voter Rolls, Database Sweeps, and Decades-Old Convictions
Saunders suspects that the Department of Homeland Security has shifted its operational focus. Instead of concentrating resources solely on low-wage undocumented workers, authorities are increasingly utilizing voting rolls and government databases to identify deportable individuals as funding for the agency increases.
Canadians are frequently finding themselves on a fast track to deportation due to decades-old criminal sentences for offenses such as assault, drug possession, or drunk driving. Others are facing legal action after overstaying temporary visas for decades.
“In the past, a lot of these people immigration would just turn a blind eye (to), unless it really became something on their radar. But now you hear of ICE going out and scooping up these people, and some of them have lived in this country as permanent residents for decades,” Saunders said.
Compounding the issue is illegal voting. In states like Washington, where voters can self-declare eligibility, some permanent residents have mistakenly cast ballots. Saunders pointed out that many Canadians are simply naive to the fact that permanent residents cannot vote in U.S. elections. Within a two-week window, he was contacted by half a dozen Canadians facing deportation proceedings specifically for past voting history.
Previously, individuals in this situation could seek American citizenship by signing a declaration acknowledging the illegal vote, expressing remorse, and apologizing. Immigration authorities would typically naturalize them without issue. Today, Saunders actively cautions his clients to verify they have zero criminal convictions or immigration violations before applying for citizenship, wanting to avoid inadvertently triggering deportation proceedings.
Global Consular Pressures and Travel Registrations
The rise in North American detentions mirrors a broader global trend captured in the annual consular report. Global Affairs tracked 1,981 arrests or detentions of Canadians worldwide between April 2025 and March 2026, marking a one-fifth increase over the prior year and a 43 per cent jump over two years prior. Notably, arrests of Canadians in Thailand tripled during this period, an increase the report leaves unexplained.
Family and child consular cases also climbed by 25 per cent over a three-year span, reaching 804 instances involving custody disputes, forced marriages, or surrogacy, most commonly centered in the U.S., India, and Pakistan. Overall, Ottawa handled 7,436 consular cases throughout the fiscal year.
Amid these rising international complications, Canadians are voluntarily preparing themselves before heading abroad. The department registered a 27 per cent increase in voluntary travel registrations over the previous fiscal year, totaling 574,338 sign-ups designed to help Ottawa disseminate safety warnings and coordinate emergency evacuations.
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