Canada Border Services Agency Establishes Secure Facility for High-Risk Detainees

Strategic Insights -

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has established a secure facility at the Correctional Service of Canada's Regional Reception Centre in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, to house high-risk immigrant detainees. The facility can accommodate up to 25 adult male detainees who require a high degree of supervision and control due to prior convictions or violent behavior. The CBSA emphasizes its commitment to transparency, allowing independent third-party service providers, such as the Canadian Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to observe and evaluate detention conditions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The secure facility at the Regional Reception Centre in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, can house up to 25 high-risk immigrant detainees who require a high degree of supervision and control.
  • Detainees are selected based on individual risk assessments, which consider factors such as prior convictions for violent crimes, demonstrated violent or non-compliant behavior, and the need for high levels of supervision and control.
  • The facility is under CBSA authority and is separate from Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) spaces.
  • CBSA staff and contracted personnel, including security guards and medical professionals, are responsible for care and management of detainees.
  • The Canadian Red Cross provides monitoring services to CBSA's existing immigration holding centres and will continue this practice at the new designated immigrant station.
  • Detainees have access to resources including legal representation, enhanced medical services, recreational areas, and dedicated rooms for counsel or visits from non-governmental organizations.
  • The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act governs the detention process, with the Immigration Refugee Board responsible for determining whether detention should be maintained or not.
  • Detention reviews take place every 30 days, and the CBSA aims to remove inadmissible individuals from Canada as soon as possible.

Statistics:

  • Up to 25 high-risk immigrant detainees can be housed at the new secure facility.
  • 3 immigration holding centres operate in Toronto (ON), Laval (QC), and Surrey (BC).
  • Detainees have access to 30-day detention reviews.
  • The Canadian Red Cross monitors conditions at 4 facilities, including the new secure facility.

Sources:

  • "Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) establishes temporary designated immigrant station in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec". [Government of Canada](www.canada.ca/en/news/releases/2024/09/25/canada-border-services-agency-cbsa-estabish-temporary-designated-immigrant-station-sainte-anne-des-plaines-quebec.html)
  • "Immigration and Refugee Protection Act". [Government of Canada](laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/I-2.3/page-1.html)