"It’s been ten years since I was put in immigration detention… Hearing the sound of keys jangling takes me right back to the jail, with guards on their rounds… When I see a border officer, I have panic attacks.”
Sara Maria Gomez Lopez (pictured above) was detained in a B.C. jail in 2012 after fleeing persecution in Mexico. Instead of welcoming her with open arms, Sara says Canada turned her into a number, a faceless nobody. She wants Canada to end its inhumane immigration detention system once and for all.
Did you know that under Canadian law, a non-citizen can be incarcerated indefinitely in immigration detention, based solely on administrative grounds?
Canada incarcerates thousands of people on administrative immigration-related grounds every year, including people who are fleeing persecution, those seeking employment and a better life, and people who have lived in Canada since childhood.
People in immigration detention are subjected to solitary confinement, indefinite detention, maximum security jails, and handcuffs and shackles.
A joint report by Amnesty International and Human Rights watch found that people with mental health conditions experience discrimination in immigration detention, and racialized people are disproportionately impacted by this system.
The Canada Border Services Agency incarcerates people in immigration detention in provincial jails, which is a violation of international human rights standards. Our #WelcomeToCanada campaign went coast to coast, calling for an immediate end to the use of jails.
The provinces listened! All 10 provinces have committed to ending their immigration detention agreements or arrangements with the federal government. This was an incredible human rights victory.
However, the fight is not over yet!