U.S. citizen kicked out of Canada 6 times in cat-and-mouse game with border officials, search warrant alleges

After being sent backmost to the U.S. for the sixth clip successful 2 years, American national Junseo Hagh returned to Canada to "finish what helium started."

That's according to a hunt warrant obtained by CBC News from a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) investigator, which alleges Hagh also likely smuggled a weapon into British Columbia earlier this year.

The warrant alleges that Hagh was deported from Canada six times but returned undetected each clip on the B.C.-Washington authorities border.

The allegations elaborate successful it person not been proven.

"The question evidently that is raised is, however did helium get backmost into Canada?" asks Toronto-based migration lawyer Evan Green, who is besides capable to practise successful the U.S.

"That's the large contented due to the fact that intelligibly this is not idiosyncratic who we privation to beryllium successful Canada fixed his background."

Hagh, 21, who besides goes by Ethan, has not been charged with immoderate firearm offences but is presently successful custody facing charges of returning to Canada without authorization aft a removal bid and failing to look to find the close to participate Canada.

His lawyer, Roy Kim, told CBC News Hagh has yet to participate a plea and declined to remark further.

Hagh served jailhouse clip twice, successful August and December 2024, for the aforesaid offences. 

Hagh's galore deportation orders person puzzled migration experts amid U.S.-Canada tensions and heightened scrutiny of the world's longest undefended border. Documents uncover Hagh is adamant connected returning to Canada due to the fact that of the fond memories helium had successful the bluish nation.

"This is simply a highly antithetic case," Green said.

Axe pulled retired successful combat astatine SkyTrain station

Hagh is non-verbal, has intelligence wellness issues and has been stateless since helium was 15, surviving connected the streets of Los Angeles, New York and B.C., according to the warrant.

He archetypal came to Canada arsenic a kid nether a survey permit.

In December 2022, aft his licence had expired, helium pulled retired an axe during a combat astatine a SkyTrain presumption successful Burnaby, B.C., according to the hunt warrant.

The combat was deemed consensual, and truthful Hagh wasn't charged, but helium was arrested connected an migration warrant.

Immigration officials issued Hagh an exclusion bid days later, banning him from returning to Canada for 1 year. 

But helium violated the bid and came backmost to Canada soon afterwards. He was issued a deportation bid successful February 2023, permanently barring him from the country. 

What followed was months of a feline and rodent crippled betwixt Hagh and borderline officials, according to the hunt warrant. Hagh would participate Canada without authorization, beryllium sent backmost to the U.S. and past would caput backmost north.

In total, the hunt warrant says Hagh has been kicked retired of Canada six times. He would, astatine times, instrumentality to Canada wrong days aft being deported.

He was deported connected July 2, 2024, past deported again 16 days later, according to the warrant.

WATCH | Lawyer says Hagh's lawsuit is an outlier:

'He continues to return'

There was nary grounds of him entering Canada past due to the fact that helium didn't spell done a larboard of entry, according to his December 2024 sentencing. The Vancouver provincial court provided CBC News with audio recordings of the hearing.

"He knows he's not expected to beryllium successful Canada without authorization, yet helium continues to return. Hopefully, a longer signifier of incarceration volition deter him," said the Crown prosecutor.

Christine Jurusik, a U.S. migration lawyer licensed to practise successful Ontario and New York state, said she's not amazed that Hagh was capable to participate undetected.

"Our borderline with the United States is mostly undefended and unmonitored. So determination are tons of places that radical tin transverse without being intercepted by CBSA," she said.

"Someone similar this who has the volition to beryllium successful Canada and truly wants to beryllium here, tin find ways."

WATCH | RCMP patrolling borderline successful caller ways:

In December 2024, Judge James Sutherland said Hagh had a "sympathetic background," but inactive gave him the 120-day condemnation recommended by the Crown.

"The fig of violations of the migration orders, the speedy succession successful which they were violated required this tribunal to render a condemnation … that instrumentality breakers tin beryllium assured that the tribunal volition manus retired sentences that supply superior consequences for violations of this nature," Sutherland said.

Hagh was past deported connected Jan. 8, 2025, but was seen crossing illegally into Canada the adjacent day, aft buying firearms ammunition from Bellingham, Wash., according to the hunt warrant.

Cpl. Arash Seyed with the RCMP's national policing Pacific portion portion told CBC News that U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Hagh connected Jan. 9 connected the American side, aft Mounties were told helium was attempting to participate Canada.

Seyed said helium doesn't cognize whether Hagh "legally oregon illegally" got into Canada aft that.

An RCMP serviceman spotted him astatine a buying centre successful Burnaby connected Jan. 16, arrested him for an outstanding migration warrant and took him to the Immigration Holding Centre successful Surrey, the warrant said.

'There's nary weapon successful here'

A knife, 5 firearm cartridges and a receipt from a Bellingham pawn store that showed helium bought astir $90 worthy of ammunition connected Jan. 9 were recovered among Hagh's things, according to the warrant.

Hagh said helium didn't bring a weapon into Canada.

"There's nary weapon successful here. I tin archer you that," helium wrote connected a portion of insubstantial to investigators, according to the warrant.

"No comment, different than that I tin archer you truthfully that determination is nary gun."

When Hagh was deported connected Jan. 8, helium told a CBSA serviceman that helium wanted to instrumentality to Canada for 2 months "to decorativeness what helium started," according to the warrant.

"He did not specify what this was, but stated that helium felt that helium had to bash a 'reset' of himself and recovered that Canada was a amended portion of his beingness that helium wanted to revisit and past instrumentality to the U.S.," the CBSA serviceman said successful the warrant.

The serviceman alleges Hagh said helium would bargain a weapon erstwhile helium returned to the U.S. for extortion but that helium would permission it anterior to returning to Canada.

"I judge that firearm cartridges lone person 1 purpose: to beryllium utilized with a firearm," the serviceman wrote successful the warrant. "I judge that Mr. Hagh smuggled a firearm with him erstwhile helium entered Canada, contempt his claims to the contrary."

Hagh's lawyer told the tribunal during Hagh's sentencing successful 2024 that helium excelled academically portion attending secondary schoolhouse successful B.C. earlier things took a crook for the worse.

He wanted to instrumentality to B.C. "to travel to reconciliation," his lawyer said.

The CBSA was authorized to hunt Hagh's telephone for grounds of purchasing a firearm, but helium has not been charged with immoderate firearm offences.

CBC asked the Public Prosecution Service of Canada if it had received a proposal to complaint Hagh. It said it  "does not talk to a substance unless oregon until charges are laid."

Case not portion of wider trend: expert

Jurusik said Hagh's lawsuit raises concerns but is an anomaly. 

"We haven't had a immense hazard of Americans fleeing oregon trying to travel to Canada illegally. So portion this is alarming, I don't deliberation it's a trend, and it doesn't origin interest the mode the information connected the confederate borderline causes concerns to American citizens wherever they bash person overmuch higher numbers and incidents of things similar this happening," Jurusik said.

"I deliberation CBSA is doing a bully occupation and that this is astir apt conscionable a unsocial situation."

CBSA declined an interrogation petition and said it couldn't supply details connected idiosyncratic cases.

CBSA and different instrumentality enforcement agencies person been provided accrued enactment successful effect to Donald Trump's tariff threats and his request that Canada bash much astatine the borderline to halt the travel of drugs and amerciable migration.

In December 2024, the national authorities announced a $1.3 cardinal program to fortify borderline security.

Figures for 2025 have yet to beryllium released, but successful 2024, the CBSA removed much than 16,000 inadmissible overseas nationals from the country, according to bureau data. About 600 were American citizens.

While it's unclear however Hagh got into the state truthful galore times, tribunal records amusement the timing worked in his favour.

After being issued a deportation bid successful August 2024, the program was for the CBSA to driblet him disconnected astatine the borderline and for a household person to prime him up connected the Blaine side, a Crown authoritative told the justice during Hagh's December 2024 sentencing.

But Hagh was released days earlier than scheduled, and truthful nary 1 was determination to prime him up, according to the hearing.

Hagh contacted his household successful California aft his merchandise and told them helium didn't privation to instrumentality to the state, the Crown said.

Then, successful September 2024, the Crown says an off-duty CBSA serviceman saw Hagh charging his telephone astatine a Save On Foods market store successful Burnaby,

The serviceman recorded a video of Hagh connected this telephone and contacted on-duty officers. 

"But by the clip they arrived astatine Save On, Mr. Hagh was nary longer there," the Crown said.

Hagh is successful custody astatine the North Fraser Pretrial Centre successful Port Coquitlam, B.C., and is owed successful tribunal successful July.