Lev Tahor community in Ontario raided by border agency

The Canada Border Services Agency has arrested sixmembers of the Lev Tahorsect over suspected immigration issues, their lawyer says.

Some families in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect are at the centre of achild custody case, including one family that fled toGuatemala.

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A border agencypress release said agentsexecuted a number of warrants for suspected Immigration and Refugee Protection Actviolations on Wednesday morning.

Border agents went looking for seven Lev Tahor members who had either been ordered removed from Canada or whosestatus had expired,said the group's lawyer, Guidy Mamann.

Five of those people, as well as one other person who was foundto have alleged immigration issues, were apprehended, Mamann said.

The lawyer said he is working with the border agency to make sure the other two peopleauthorities had been seeking comply, he said.

Members of the community told a local radio station that those arrested are Israeli citizens whose visas hadexpired.

One member of the community told The Canadian Press some ofthose arrested were American citizens.

They had been working with a lawyer in Toronto to be ableto stay in Canada, Blackburn News reported.

Stephen Doig, executive director ofChatham-Kent Children's Services, said his organization co-operated with the border agency.

Doigsaid a number of children have been taken into care after the arrest of the adults.

The children were all back in the community hours later, being looked after by relatives or alternate caregivers, Mamann said Wednesday evening.

Mamann is also hopeful that some of the adults who were apprehended will be released soon. If not, theymust be brought before the Immigration and Refugee Board within 48hours of their detention while being processed by CBSA.

Mamann, who was meeting with Lev Tahor's spiritual leader RabbiShlomo Helbrans when reached for an interview, said the communitywas terrified during the arrests.

"It's a frightening experience to look up and see 20-some-oddarmed officers going from house to house looking for adults andchildren," he said.

Mamann, a Toronto-based lawyer who was hired recently, said he is providing a legal strategy for the group, which has been lacking.

"That's why there have been all kinds of difficulties that couldhave easily been avoided had somebody from the group reallyunderstood the legal processes," he said.

"These people are really fish out of water. They get scared,they run. That's not a legal strategy."

Another lawyer representing aLev Tahor family removed himself from thecase this week.

About 200 members of the LevTahor sect 114 of them children settled nearChatham, Ont., last year after suddenly leavingSte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que.

A Quebec court ordered late last year that 14LevTahorchildren be placed in foster care.

Child welfare authorities in Quebec alleged issues related to hygiene, health and that the children weren't being educated according to provincial guidelines.

At least twoLevTahorfamilies left Chatham for Guatemala in March with child custody hearings pending.

Two other sect families with nine members attempted to reach Guatemala but were intercepted in Trinidad and returned to Canada.

Child welfare officials also took two minors into custody after they were apprehended in Calgary and they were returned to Ontario.

The group has denied all allegations of mistreatment.