Alberta MP: Close ICE Offices: Demands Action Amid Growing Backlash

EDMONTON, AB — An Alberta MP is demanding Prime Minister Mark Carney shut down U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices operating in five Canadian cities, including Calgary, as backlash grows over ICE's controversial enforcement tactics south of the border.

NDP MP Heather McPherson, who represents Edmonton Strathcona, sent a letter to Carney calling for the closure of ICE Homeland Security Investigations field offices in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. The offices operate out of U.S. Embassy and Consulate buildings.

"We need to close these offices and stop Canadian companies from profiting off an agency that has documented over 1,000 alleged abuses in U.S. detention facilities," McPherson's letter states, according to CBC reporting by Rukhsaar Ali.

What ICE Actually Does in Canada

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations agents work with Canadian partners on transnational crime investigations—drug trafficking, child exploitation, weapons smuggling, human smuggling, and financial fraud. They don't conduct arrests, execute search warrants, or carry firearms on Canadian soil. Think liaison, not enforcement.

The offices have existed for years under bilateral security agreements, operating quietly until recent ICE actions in Minneapolis—where President Donald Trump deployed federal agents in January, leading to protests and the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good—turned public attention north.

The Money Play

McPherson isn't just targeting the offices. She's calling for Canada to sanction Canadian companies doing business with ICE by denying export permits and pulling public subsidies.

That puts Ontario-based Roshel—which has a contract to deliver 20 armoured vehicles to ICE, publicly backed by Premier Doug Ford—directly in the crosshairs.

NDP MP Jenny Kwan is pushing Private Member's Bill C-233, which would close loopholes in Canada's arms export system to block military equipment sales to agencies like ICE. Greenpeace Canada is actively campaigning against the Roshel deal.

The Border Friction

The timing is loaded. U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan just announced he's pulling 700 federal officers out of Minnesota after state officials started cooperating. And Vancouver City Council is already floating a motion to ban ICE agents from FIFA World Cup events in 2026, following reports that ICE will deploy to Italy's Winter Olympics this month.

Back in September, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra hinted the U.S. might reconsider pre-clearance operations due to declining Canadian travel—though two pre-clearance projects are still scheduled to roll out this year.

What Happens Next

Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand have not formally responded to McPherson's letter. The Safe Third Country Agreement—amended in 2023—remains in force, governing how Canada and the U.S. handle asylum seekers at the border.

The decision sits with Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada. McPherson is betting public pressure forces their hand.