B.C. ending immigration detention deal with federal border agency

An advocate with Human Rights Watch says he hopes British Columbia’s determination to finish its immigration detention association with Canada Border Providers Company will create a “domino impact” throughout the nation.

Public Security Minister Mike Farnworth introduced B.C.’s determination to finish its cope with the company to carry immigration detainees in provincial correctional centres on Thursday, saying the association doesn’t align with the province’s stance on human rights.

The transfer got here after calls from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Worldwide for B.C. to terminate its contract with the federal authorities.

Samer Muscati, affiliate incapacity rights director at Human Rights Watch, referred to as the choice a “historic step.”

“Hopefully it will finish a few of the abuses that we’re seeing and prevents individuals from being detained within the worst situations, not less than in British Columbia. We’re hoping it will create a domino impact the place different provinces will take the lead that B.C. is taking to do the identical,” Muscati stated in an interview Thursday.

“Hopefully that is additionally a wake-up name for the federal authorities to appreciate that the present immigration detention system they’ve, it’s not sustainable and so they really want to take a look at a paradigm shift in how they do that.”

Farnworth stated the province carried out a overview that analyzed its contract with the company, together with public security, and consulted with advocacy teams.

“The overview delivered to gentle that facets of the association don’t align with our authorities’s dedication to upholding human rights requirements or our dedication to pursuing social justice and fairness for everybody,” he stated.

CBSA stated it couldn’t reply to questions by deadline.

The report stated the variety of immigration detainees in provincial custody is declining however provincial jails are used to carry “high-risk detainees.”

It additionally stated that whereas CBSA compensates BC Corrections to carry detainees, it doesn’t cowl the whole value.

“It is a development that’s prone to proceed given the general discount within the variety of detainees in provincial custody. If the association ended, these are assets that could possibly be used to assist BC Corrections’ purchasers, together with people in custody with complicated wants and behaviours,” it stated.

Requires reform started in June 2021 when Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Worldwide launched a report saying immigrants with no prison prices in opposition to them are detained in holding centres, federal prisons or provincial jails for “indeterminate quantities of time.” They launched a marketing campaign calling on B.C. to finish its contract final October, and later expanded their push to Quebec and Nova Scotia.

“Canada is among the many few nations within the world north with no authorized restrict on the period of immigration detention, which means individuals could be detained for months or years with no sign of ending,” the teams stated in a joint information launch following Thursday’s announcement. “British Columbia’s determination is a significant milestone on the trail to ending immigration detention in provincial jails in Canada.”

Sara Lopez, an immigrant who was detained for 3 months on the Alouette Correctional Centre for Ladies in Maple Ridge after in search of asylum in 2012, referred to as the choice a aid.

She stated she has by no means understood why CBSA incarcerates people who find themselves “simply fleeing from violence.”

“Fingers crossed that it occurs in each province on this nation,” she stated in an interview Thursday.

Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary-general of Amnesty Worldwide Canada, stated within the assertion that she commends B.C. on being the primary province to make the choice, calling ita “momentous step.”

“It is a true human rights victory, one which upholds the dignity and rights of people that come to Canada seeking security or a greater life,” she stated.

B.C. human rights commissioner Kasari Govender joined the teams of their name to finish the observe throughout the nation, saying CBSA information reveals 94 per cent of immigration detainees are held for administrative causes and pose no danger to the general public.

“Detaining harmless migrants in jails is merciless, unjust and violates human rights commitments. CBSA should maintain migrants in a detention centre, however this a big first step in direction of affirming the human rights of detainees,” she stated in a information launch Thursday. “Now, it’s as much as the federal authorities to abolish all migrant detention and broaden using community-based alternate options that assist people.”

Farnworth stated BC Corrections shall be offering CBSA with 12 months’ discover of termination as is required below its present contract. The overview famous CBSA might have time to “plan and implement extra amenities or alternate options which can be secure and safe in order to not compromise public security in B.C. or put these of their care — employees, contractors and detainees — in danger in any approach.”

The human rights teams stated BC Corrections has informed them the province will give the company official written discover to terminate the contract subsequent week.

“We hope that it is a step in abolishing immigration detention versus discovering different methods to detain individuals by way of holding centres or by way of different varieties of punitive measures,” Muscati stated. “There’s an actual alternative right here to do one thing completely different.”