Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran, known as Jackie Tran, was granted approval to be released. No other details of the ruling were available yesterday. Tran, 25, has been at the Calgary Remand Centre since January when he was picked up by police on an immigration warrant while at a viewing for slain gangster Mark Kim. One day before his arrest, he failed to show up for his appeal of his deportation order. Given Tran is a convicted criminal, tagged by cops as a gangster, many are baffled by the latest development. "I think, like most Calgarians, I shake may head in disbelief and disgust," said Mayor Dave Bronconnier."Our police are working around the clock, rounding up bad guys and this becomes this turnstile justice system that costs us an absolute fortune as taxpayers. "We should take all measures to ensure that those who pose a danger to Calgarians remain confined." Calgary Police Association president John Dooks said the newest twist in the Tran case puts public safety on the backburner and underscores the need for legislative changes to close such loopholes.
"It's ridiculous -- a potential dangerous offender ordered for deportation has enough avenues of recourse to prevent that deportation for four years," he said. "Any time there's a potential dangerous offender released ... we have to expect acts of violence to follow." In January, Tran pleaded for his release, saying he's a hard-working immigrant not a gangster. But a federal official, citing his links to gangs, ordered him detained until his deportation to Vietnam.
A Canada Border Services Agency hearings officer ruled him a flight risk, a threat to public safety and at risk of rival gang violence. Organized Crime Operations Centre Staff Sgt. Gord Eiriksson said yesterday police will "do their best" to ensure Tran abides by his conditions while in the community. He said the case is disappointing and spawns fears of potential violence. "It's frustrating to think of how many hours and resources and money is spent putting people behind bars," he said. "When you feel you have reached a successful conclusion, having someone involved in criminal activity actually deported from the country -- to find they are being released after four years, it's difficult to understand. "Once again ... we don't realize the fruits of our labours. "He's concerned for his safety and we're concerned for his safety and for public safety." CBSA spokeswoman Lisa White said removal orders are acted on as quickly as possible while respecting available avenues of appeal. CBSA "has an obligation to remove any person that has been issued a removal order ... as soon as possible," she said. "However, everyone who is ordered removed from Canada is entitled to due process before the law and all removal orders and decisions are subject to various levels of recourse and appeal."
Tran, who came to Canada in 1993 and was ordered deported in 2004, was a member of a gang involved in at least eight homicides in Calgary.

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