When the Immigration Gatekeeper Becomes the Advocate: How Gary Anandasangaree Used His Office to Push a Terror-Linked Migrant into Canada
New documents reveal the now-Minister of Public Safety used official channels to support a man linked to a banned terrorist organization. What else has been hidden?
"No credible evidence," he wrote.
That was Gary Anandasangaree's argument in 2016 when, as a newly minted Liberal MP, he sent a formal letter on House of Commons letterhead to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), advocating on behalf of one Senthuran Selvakumaran—a man already assessed by Canadian intelligence and immigration authorities as inadmissible due to links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a banned terrorist organization in Canada.
It was not the first time Anandasangaree had inserted himself into Tamil-related immigration matters. But it may be the most consequential.
A Timeline of Influence
▶ September 28, 2016
Anandasangaree, then in his first year as MP, writes to CBSA on behalf of Selvakumaran, claiming the man was mistakenly associated with the LTTE and deserved a second look. The letter included personal testimony about Selvakumaran's marriage and emotional hardship—not the profile of a national security threat, Anandasangaree implied.
▶ July 19, 2023
Now serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, Anandasangaree doubles down. He sends a second letter to CBSA asking for a "review and reconsideration" of Selvakumaran's denied application for ministerial relief. By now, the CBSA had already deemed Selvakumaran a national security risk. The letter leans on Charter rights, emotional appeals, and questions about previous legal counsel.
▶ October 12, 2023
The CBSA issues a comprehensive report rejecting Selvakumaran's bid. The agency concludes:
He worked for the LTTE from 1992 to 1998.
He distributed propaganda and materials in support of terrorist activities.
He repeatedly altered his story over the years.
CBSA President Erin O'Gorman signs off. The CBSA does not bend to political pressure.
▶ January 29, 2024
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc accepts the CBSA's recommendation and formally denies ministerial relief.
▶ July 9, 2024
Federal Court Justice Glennys McVeigh upholds the denial, citing the CBSA's due diligence and Selvakumaran's lack of credibility.
Why It Matters: An MP Acting as Advocate for a Security Threat
Selvakumaran wasn't some random refugee with a tragic backstory. He had been flagged for years for his involvement with the LTTE—an organization that pioneered suicide bombings, recruited child soldiers, and waged a brutal civil war in Sri Lanka.
So why did a Canadian MP go to bat for him, not once, but twice?
If Anandasangaree was unaware of the classified evidence against Selvakumaran, that's one thing. But the CBSA made its case publicly. And the Federal Court later confirmed the man's terrorist affiliation.
Anandasangaree chose to proceed anyway.
Compromised Oversight
Gary Anandasangaree is now Canada's Minister of Public Safety. He oversees:
The CBSA
The RCMP
CSIS
In short, he controls the very agencies that flagged Selvakumaran as a threat.
When a sitting minister has previously intervened in favour of an individual linked to terrorism, we have a serious oversight crisis. It raises legitimate fears that:
Ongoing investigations could be politically derailed.
Whistleblowers may be silenced.
Human trafficking networks tied to the Tamil diaspora might operate with impunity.
And that’s before we even get into Gary’s long-standing ties to the Canadian Tamil Congress, which the RCMP has previously linked to LTTE-affiliated fundraising efforts in Canada.
The Ethics Screen
Remember that mysterious ethics screen Prime Minister Carney quietly applied to Anandasangaree in May 2025? The one no media outlet dared question?
This is why.
He wasn’t just a lawyer with community ties. He was an elected official actively lobbying the border agency on behalf of someone now confirmed to be connected to a banned terrorist group.
And now he controls the borders.
Final Thought: Political Cover or National Security Breach?
This is no longer about “diversity” or “inclusion.”
This is about how far political patronage and diaspora politics have infiltrated Canada’s immigration system.
Gary Anandasangaree used his elected office to interfere in one of the most sensitive determinations a government can make: who gets in and who gets deported.
And despite being overruled by the CBSA, the Minister of Public Safety position is now in his hands.
Who is watching the watchers?
If you are interested in Gary’s interesting past and his meteoric rise you must read:
The Ethics Screen No One's Talking About: Gary Anandasangaree, Human Trafficking, and the $20 Million Question
If someone wrote a fictional account of this it would be called "unrealistic". Too bad that's not the case here. Pray for our country and that our leaders get a moral compass.