The Indiana man detained in B.C. for fleeing to Canada to escape his prison sentence in the U.S. has dropped his claim for asylum following President Donald Trump’s pardon of all participants of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Antony Vo was convicted on four misdemeanour offences and sentenced to nine months in prison for his participation in the storming of the United States Capitol four years ago.
Vo fled to Canada to skirt his sentence last spring, residing in the country unknown to authorities until his arrest earlier this month. He has in a B.C. immigration detention centre since.
Vo had previously filed an asylum claim in response to his arrest ahead of Trump’s pardon.
His lawyer Robert Tibbio confirmed that Vo dropped the claim on Tuesday and would like to return to the U.S after indicating that he had been pardoned with certainty.
However, the CBSA contested this claim in a letter to the Immigration and Refugee Board, arguing that the clemency did not apply to Vo.
According to Tibbo, the U.S. warrant for Vo’s arrest is now moot following Trump’s pardon and there is no rational reason for the CBSA to continue detaining his client.
Regardless of what happens to Vo, his presence in the country has further spurred on the mounting U.S.-Canada border security concerns, raising questions about how someone wanted as a fugitive in the U.S. could so easily gain entry.
True North contacted the CBSA to inquire why Vo was not flagged as a wanted man in the U.S. at the border during the time of his crossing.
“In this case, we can tell you that the CBSA does not have a record of Antony Vo entering Canada at Regway, Sask. or any other official port of entry,” CBSA spokesperson Karine Martel told True North.
