“I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There” Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH “I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There” Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health Copyright © 2021 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-913-1 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. 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Amnesty International Index: AMR 20/4195/2021 For more information, please visit our website: http://www.amnesty.org JUNE 2021 ISBN: 9781623139131 “I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There” Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health Map .................................................................................................................................... i Immigration Detention Process in Canada .......................................................................... ii Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................. iii Acronyms ........................................................................................................................... v Summary ........................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations to the Government of Canada ......................................................... 6 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 7 I. Background ................................................................................................................... 10 Overview of the Immigration Detention System in Canada ....................................................... 10 Decision to Detain, Grounds of Detention, and Site of Detention ....................................... 10 Decision to Continue or Terminate Detention .................................................................... 14 Immigration Detention in Numbers ......................................................................................... 15 II. Immigration Detention and Mental Health .................................................................... 19 Failure to Recognize Psychosocial Disabilities and Provide Support ........................................ 24 Detainees Blocked from Making Independent Decisions ........................................................ 26 Authorities Respond to Disabilities with Coercive Measures .................................................... 33 Placement in Provincial Jails Rather than Immigration Holding Centers .............................. 35 Over-Medication and Lack of Mental Health Support ......................................................... 38 Lack of Access to Reasonable Accommodation ................................................................. 41 Solitary Confinement ........................................................................................................ 43 Coercive Measures Impacting the Mental Health of Detainees ................................................ 49 Use of Handcuffs ............................................................................................................. 49 Impact of Cutting Off Access to Human Contact and Support Networks .............................. 51 Violence and Overcrowding in Provincial Jails ................................................................... 54 Long-Term Impact of Detention on Mental Health .................................................................... 56 III. Covid-19 Pandemic ...................................................................................................... 60 IV. Impact of Immigration Detention on Individuals at Risk ............................................... 64 Communities of Color ............................................................................................................ 64 Refugee Claimants ................................................................................................................. 68 Child Detention and Family Separation ................................................................................... 72 V. CBSA’s Sweeping Powers without Independent Civilian Oversight ............................... 79 CBSA Discretion on Where Immigration Detainees are Held .................................................... 80 Indefinite Detention ................................................................................................................ 85 Alternatives to Detention ........................................................................................................ 87 Monitoring and Surveillance in the Community ................................................................ 88 Barriers to Release for Detainees with Psychosocial Disabilities ...................................... 89 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 95 Overarching Recommendation ................................................................................................ 95 To Canada’s Prime Minister: ............................................................................................. 95 Key Steps to Achieve Overarching Recommendation ............................................................... 95 To Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the Provincial Correctional Ministries: .................................................................................................... 95 To Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board: ...................................................................................... 97 To Canada’s Cabinet: ...................................................................................................... 98 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................ 99 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 101 Appendix I: Number of Immigration Detainees in Canada Per Year by Province or Territory ..... 101 Appendix II: Total Number of Immigration Detainees Per Year in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia .............................................................................................................................. 102 Appendix III: Number of Immigration Detainees in Canada Per Year by Site of Detention ........ 103 Appendix IV: Provincial Jails where Immigration Detainees were Held in Fiscal Years 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 ........................................................................................................... 104 Appendix V: Letter to The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness ....................................................................................................................... 107 ii Map Facilities Where Immigration Detainees are Held Across Canada i Immigration Detention Process in Canada ii Glossary of Terms Child: The word “child” refers to someone under the age of 18. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “a child means every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.”1 Designated representative: A person appointed by the Canadian tribunal conducting detention review hearings to protect the interests of an immigration detainee, who is either a child or is “unable to appreciate the nature of the proceedings.”2 Detention review hearing: A hearing conducted by the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to determine whether to order release or continued detention in a given case. Immigration Division: A section of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada that conducts detention review hearings to determine whether to order release or continued detention in a given case. Immigration holding center: Detention facility that resembles and operates like a medium security prison, dedicated to holding immigration detainees in Canada. Legal capacity: The right of an individual to hold rights and duties, and to be an actor under the law, on an equal