The Significance of Ending Immigration Detention in Prisons for Refugee Claimants in BC
Canada’s immigration enforcement agency, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), has long had the authority to detain individuals for immigration-related reasons. In British Columbia, due to the limited capacity of the immigration holding centre beneath Vancouver International Airport, nearly all immigration detainees were transferred to provincial jails. These detentions often lasted days, weeks, months, or even years.
For asylum seekers seeking refugee protection, being held in prisons designed for criminals was deeply traumatizing. Many described feeling just as unsafe in these facilities as they did in the countries they fled in search of safety.
Why Are Refugee Claimants Detained?
Refugee claimants can be detained if a CBSA officer suspects they pose security concerns, are a flight risk, or fail to provide satisfactory documents to confirm their identity.
The stories of detained claimants are deeply personal and painful, often recounting experiences of humiliation, fear, confusion, and injustice. For many, the trauma of being confined in correctional institutions compounded their already precarious situations.
One of the most notable cases of immigration detention in BC involved the 492 Tamil Sri Lankan refugee claimants who arrived on the MV Sun Sea in August 2010. Upon arrival, all passengers were detained and released gradually over time. Prisons were used as a punitive and coercive tool, aiming to deter others from seeking asylum. Families were separated, with children and mothers often apart from fathers and husbands for extended periods, and some individuals remained in detention for years.
This practice affected not just refugee claimants but all immigration detainees held in provincial prisons. Ending this practice marks a significant step toward more humane treatment of those seeking refuge and protection in Canada.
