Incarcerating the Innocent

Inside Canada's Immigration Detention Centres

Abstract

Canada, widely perceived as a renowned leader in immigration, has become subject to con-demnation from international and human rights organizations for its use of immigration holding centres, where migrants are detained by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). Using both academic sources and recounts by those who experienced detention, this paper examines the actions of the CBSA and argues that they, and the Canadian state as a whole, are perpetuating legal violence towards migrants and asylum seekers. These findings highlight the pressing need to end the regular use of migrant detention in Canada and support arguments made by human rights organizations for community-based alternatives.