OTTAWA - Concerns about foreign interference in Canada have recently focused on efforts to disrupt elections.
But the federal government also routinely deports people suspected of espionage or terrorism, and sometimes bars them from entering the country.
Lawyers who work in the immigration system fear security officials may now ramp up those efforts.
Lawyer Sharry Aiken says immigration laws are vague and some people are the victims of injustice.
Plus some are sent away on the basis of secret evidence that can't be reviewed, she says.
And it's not always easy for them to challenge decisions by filing an appeal with the Federal Court.
One former Canadian citizen was denied permanent residency and deemed inadmissible on the basis he allegedly taught English to Chinese spies.
He fought the decision in Federal Court earlier this year and won, and now he's awaiting another hearing at the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The court found that the government had made an "overzealous effort'' to establish him as a member of the Chinese military.