Inside Canada's jails holding immigrants and asylum seekers

Dear Turritopsis Dohrnii,

When Abdelrahman Elmady arrived in Vancouver to seek

refugee protection, he was arrested without charge and had

his hearing aid batteries confiscated. He was detained for two

months in three different provincial jails, where he also spent

weeks in solitary confinement.  

Abdelrahman is not alone. Between April 2019 and March

2020, nearly 9,000 people were in Canadian immigration

detention, including 138 infants and children. Every year,

hundreds are held in provincial jails, some of them

maximum-security. Our research has shown that

immigration detainees are regularly handcuffed,

shackled, and held with little to no contact with the

outside world. With no set release date, they can be held for

months or years without an end in sight.

In partnership with Amnesty International, last week we

launched #WelcomeToCanada – a national

campaign going coast to coast, starting with British Columbia

(BC), calling on provincial leaders to cancel

their immigration detention contracts with the federal

government. Like most provinces, BC’s contract allows for

immigration detainees to be held in provincial jails.

Call on British Columbia to be the first to cancel this

contract!

We can’t be silent. People like Abdelrahman need your

help.  Over the next few months, you’ll hear more stories

from people who have experienced immigration detention in

Canada first-hand, and learn from advocates across the

country on how you can help call on Canada’s leadership to

cancel these contracts.  With your help, we can get Canada on

the path to abolishing immigration detention. 

It is time for Canada to give people seeking safety and a

better life the #WelcomeToCanada they deserve.

In solidarity,  

Samer  Muscati

Associate Director, Disability Rights Division 

Human Rights Watch