A Mexican with alleged cartel links is seeking refugee status in Canada while detained in a maximum-security correctional centre in Ontario.
The man, who previously overstayed his work visa, admitted to being a Mexican cartel-affiliated hitman a decade ago. He returned to Canada via an illegal border crossing months ago with his child and claimed asylum, citing fears surrounding the child’s mother and the Trump administration’s crackdown on cartel and organized crime.
He has since been detained in a maximum-security correctional centre.
The respondent, identified only as C.M. in court documents, is a 42-year-old Mexican citizen with sole custody of his minor child. He is a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States, according to federal Court documents.
The documents state that C.M. initially applied for an H2B visa in 2006—typically issued to non-agricultural temporary workers—for a position at a Canadian Best Western hotel.
The visa was valid from July 17, 2006, to December 28, 2006, but C.M. overstayed his welcome in Canada, allegedly remaining in the country until 2014.
Even more concerningly, in 2011, the respondent was found by the Vancouver Police Department to be in possession of “a significant quantity” of controlled substances and paraphernalia. He was arrested, but no charges were brought and he was somehow permitted to remain in the country.
In 2014, the VPD were engaged in a lengthy investigation into organized crime and drug trafficking. During a sting, C.M. was present at a meeting where an unnamed “controlled substance” was purchased.
In a recording taken by an undercover officer, C.M. stated that he was a hitman for hire. He provided information concerning his “fees, method, and disposal techniques.”
In April 2015, nearly a full decade after first entering Canada for what was supposed to be only a few months, C.M. was finally removed from the country.
Then, in October 2021, C.M. was issued a U.S. visa to visit his son’s mother, but once again overstayed his welcome and had his temporary status revoked as was the case earlier in Canada.
Continuing a pattern of unlawful entry and prolonged stays, on February 13, 2025, he once again entered Canada — this time at an “unofficial port of entry” with his minor child. He and the child then made a claim for refugee protection based on “fears that the Trump administration would separate C.M. from his child.”
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada member, Maleeka Mohamed, released C.M. from detention with conditions, claiming to have “minimized C.M.’s danger to the public ‘as a drug trafficker and a known associate of the terrorist entity La Familia Michoacana Cartel.’”
In an April 1 ruling, an immigration judge claimed parts of Mohamed’s decision to release the admitted hitman were “unreasonable, unintelligible and not justified.” She ordered the case to be returned to the board for review.
In the meantime, C.M. has been detained at Maplehurst Correctional Centre, a maximum-security provincial jail in Ontario. He has been held in immigration detention for approximately 40 days, ten of which he was held in segregation. While in detention, C.M.’’s child has been staying with his family members in British Columbia.
The La Familia Mexican drug cartel, with alleged links to C.M., was designated a terrorist group by the Canadian government on February 20, 2025 — a week after C.M. returned to the country.