CBSA ANNOUNCES ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION PROGRAM

Submitted by jayakiran02 on Thu, 07/26/2018 - 22:37

OTTAWA | JULY 24, 2018

As another step toward better and fairer ways to handle difficult immigration cases, the Government of Canada today unveiled new elements to the "Alternatives to Detention" (ATD) program of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Expanded options nationally available now include:

  • Community Case Management and Supervision Services (CCMS): This alternative offers in-community tailored case management services to individuals released from detention. The CBSA is contracting with service providers located across Canada, including the Salvation Army, the John Howard Society of Canada, and the Toronto Bail Program. These organizations have the combined capacity to supervise in community up to 800 people and provide specific programming aimed at facilitating compliance with immigration requirements.

  • Voice Reporting (VR): The VR system will use biometric voiceprint technology to enable as many as 10,000 individuals to report to the CBSA at agreed upon intervals, using either cellphones or landlines. This will provide more equitable treatment for people in remote locations or those who would otherwise need to travel long distances to fulfill CBSA reporting requirements, thus enhancing compliance.

  • Electronic Monitoring (EM): As a pilot program dealing with up to 20 cases, EM will be test-run in the Greater Toronto Area as an ATD for individuals who require a higher level of intervention to ensure the risks they present are properly mitigated. The monitoring may also be coupled with support programming through CCMS. The necessary EM technology is being delivered with the cooperation of the Correctional Service of Canada.

CBSA officers use these options to keep Canadians safe and preserve the integrity of the immigration program. They will now have new alternatives to detention to deploy in suitable circumstances and to ensure detention is a measure of last resort.

Quick facts

  • Immigration detention continues to be a necessary immigration enforcement tool designed to preserve program integrity and public safety. Immigration detention is not punitive. Detention is a last resort and officers must always consider alternatives.

  • Only those individuals whose risk can be effectively managed through ATDs are considered for community release.

  • A CBSA officer’s decision to detain a person under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is subject to a review by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), an independent quasi-judicial tribunal.