Arrests and detentions of Canadians in the United States rose about 60 per cent in the year ending March 31, 2026, even as Canadians made far fewer trips south, according to Global Affairs Canada’s annual consular figures released Oct. 8, 2026.
The department recorded 577 cases of Canadian citizens arrested or detained in the U.S. between April 2025 and March 2026, up from 361 the year before, The Canadian Press reported. Over the same period, visits by Canadians to the U.S. fell 25 per cent, from 26.8 million to 20 million.
The figures do not say why the numbers climbed. The increase covers the first full year of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, during which his administration expanded immigration enforcement and raids, and Canadians have reported tougher questioning from U.S. border officers, Global News reported. Some outlets initially published the U.S. total as 557; the 577 figure is consistent with the reported rise of about 60 per cent.
Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer in Blaine, Wash., told The Canadian Press that “a lot of Canadians are caught up in this dragnet.” He said many clients facing deportation had lived in the U.S. for years and believed their status was in order.
The U.S. cases are part of a wider rise. Global Affairs Canada recorded 1,981 arrests or detentions of Canadians worldwide in 2025-26, about one-fifth more than the year before and 43 per cent more than two years earlier, according to The Canadian Press. Arrests of Canadians in Thailand tripled.
The department’s own summary of the report said consular officials handled 7,436 cases in the year, about three per cent more than the year before, and answered 289,254 enquiries through its emergency centre and its contact centre for Canadians in the United States.
More Canadians are also telling Ottawa where they are. Registrations with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service grew from 452,160 to 574,338, the department said, a rise of about 27 per cent. Registration lets the government send safety updates and reach travellers during an evacuation.
The year was busy for crisis work. The department said it helped more than 28,000 travellers return from Cuba, fielded more than 2,700 enquiries during violence in Mexico and supported more than 1,500 people leaving conflict-affected areas of the Middle East.
Global Affairs Canada has also warned that more frequent wars and natural disasters are making consular cases more complex and more expensive to manage, Global News reported. Cases involving children and families reached 804, up 25 per cent over three years.
For travellers, the department’s advice is unchanged: check the Travel Advice and Advisories page before leaving, register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service and keep Canada’s 24-hour emergency contact details on hand. Canadians detained abroad can ask local authorities to notify the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate.
The U.S. remains by far the most common destination for Canadian travellers despite the drop in visits, so even small changes in enforcement there can affect large numbers of people. Canada News Media has also reported on how U.S. immigration authorities drew on voter records in a recent investigation.
Via The Canadian Press (CP24) and Global News.
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Sources: Global Affairs Canada, The Canadian Press and Global News. Photo: the Peace Bridge between Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, N.Y., by Ken Lund, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
