‘Fantastic news’: Ford welcomes ICE plan to order Ontario armoured vehicles

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it’s “fantastic news” that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to order armoured vehicles from a company based in Brampton.

Reports emerged this week of U.S. government procurement plans to order 20 Senator vehicles for its ICE officers, a move worth roughly $10 million.

“That’s fantastic, I’ve been through that plant,” Ford said when asked about the news on Wednesday. “They make great military vehicles.”

The Senators are armoured tactical vehicles used by Ukraine in its war with Russia, made by Roshel, a company headquartered in Brampton, Ont. The Americans plan to sole-source them from the company because it can complete the order within 30 days.

The order from one of the most controversial parts of the Trump administration comes as U.S. tariffs batter the Ontario economy, most recently being blamed for 1,000 job losses at Algoma Steel.

“I know it’s ironic, but that’s alright,” Ford said. “We’ll take orders anywhere in the world and thank goodness that the Americans are ordering it off us.”

The department, commonly known as ICE, is awash in controversy and allegations of human rights abuses as U.S. President Donald Trump pursues a campaign to expel vast numbers of immigrants residing in the country illegally.

–with files from The Canadian Press

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