The Immigration and Refugee Board has ruled that a member of an ultra-orthodox Jewish sect arrested earlier this week should remain in detention because the man is not likely to leave Canada as ordered if he is released.
IRB member Andrew Laut made his decision at a Toronto detention review for 39-year-old Avraham Kabaz Kashani, one of six Lev Tahor members who were arrested Wednesday in a raid by the Canadian Border Services Agency.
Some families in the religious community are at the centre of an ongoing child custody case, but authorities said the raids were made over the immigration status of certain individuals and were not related to the case.
Laut said while he acknowledged the issues the community was facing, they weren't relevant to whether Kabaz Kashani should be set free.
Laut found that Kabaz Kashani overstayed a temporary resident visa issued in 2000 and then made several failed attempts to gain legal permanent status in Canada before he was ordered out of the country in 2007.
Laut noted that Kabaz Kashani did not voluntarily leave Canada, nor did he contact authorities about his status in the country until he was arrested this week.
