Canada has cultivated a reputation for being welcoming toward refugees. However, a new pilot program risks jeopardizing that reputation by making asylum seekers prove their economic worth.
Migrants who cross the treacherous Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia often experience violence and abuse, extortion or detention by migration authorities.
Semi-carceral facilities accommodating irregular migrants are designed to be hostile spaces that expose people to substandard conditions and keep them on the move, detached from wider society.
The government has claimed that irregular migrants are falsely claiming to be victims of modern slavery to avoid being deported, but there is little evidence to support this.
Capturing biometric data helps UN agencies and other groups avoid the risk of fraud and increase efficiency. But the practice is complicated and has created security risks for vulnerable groups.
Several Canadian provinces are terminating their immigration detention agreements with the CBSA. While that signals a move in the right direction, the federal government must also take action.