Friday, 29 May 2015
UN Submissions
Name: Aneche James
Date of Birth: 10-June-1978
Citizenship: Nigeria
Years in Canada: since 23-April-2012
Length/Time in Detention: since 04-March-2015
The CBSA arbitrary detention of foreign nationals in CANADA are engaging in
illegal practices of returning foreign nationals to their native countries without
proper travel documents and in many cases with false of expired passports.
The CBSA have now long devised a technique of physical abuse and torturing
detainees with prolonged days of solitary confinement.
Any indication of refusing to travel to the country where their life is in
danger, it’s generally met with beating and pepper spray, coupled with verbal and
physical abuses and denial of medical attention.
Access to legal representative and contact to family member are rarely
granted.
I, ANECHE JAMES have personally been pepper spray and beaten so many
times by the correctional officers of Maplehurst Correctional Complex for no reason
before been boarding to the plane with the handcuff on my hands, my legs and my
face cover with a black mask like I was a terrorist. My body was so burning that half
hours late, I lost consciousness inside the plane.
Detainees are held more than 60 or 90 days, some with no limit. Gassing
detainees with tear gas is rampant.
This capricious and inhumane treatment of foreign national should be
condemned by CANADIANS as a violation of international human rights laws.
JAMES ANECHE
Eric Kusi
541 Hwy 36
Box 4500
Lindsay, ON
K9V-4S6
Date: 28 May 2015
=Date of birth- 24th Oct 1964
=Citizenship= Liberia Monrovia, West Africa
=Years in Canada= arrived on 3rd Nov 1989
=Length of time in detention, 41 months from now
=Conditions in jail.
Seven hours in common area and sixteen hours lockup. Long distance phone calls,
far away from family members, very hard to see our lawyers, lack of recreation
time, libraries.
=We are detainees and CBSA are keeping us in criminal jails all across of Ontario.
=CBSA should get an oversight to ensure due process. The inability of a state party
to carry out the expulsion of an individual does not justify detention beyond the
shortest period of time or where there are alternatives to detention, and under no
circumstances indefinite detention.
=Canada should honor their human rights obligation like what United States are
doing.
=My country has refused to issue me a travel document. I’m removal ready, the issue
is my country.
= I once a residence here in Canada, but danger opinion was issue for me because of
my criminal record. I volunteer to leave and I was deported to Liberia, they refuse to
accept my entry because of my political affiliation in Liberia. They officials want me
to pay a bribe upon arrival and I was refused entry.
= My removal is not eminent and is also an indefinite.
= Canada should release any body that can’t be deport within ninety days period.
= The board members has so many reasons to detain a person, no legal authority but
their opinions and their interpretations of the Act.
= The member always ask us to bring a bonds person for bail but, when we do
brings them, they said we don’t know the person, even you now the person more
than 5 years they said in not enough time. If we bring someone that works, they
said the person is busy working and can’t supervise us. If we bring someone that not
working, they said the person should have T4 slips to show for surety, and prove
where they get their money from. The list goes on and on, too many reasons to
reject the person. When a person get rejected, that person cannot be a bonds person
again.
= I’m was a child soldier when the civil war break out in Liberia, I come here and
seek political asylum and I was granted as credible basics.
Thank you for hearing my story or my case. Yours, Eric Kusi
To the United Nations,
My name is Ali Haasan Abdi, I have been on immigration detention for over 3 years
since March 25, 2012. I’m being held in a maximum security institution in Lindsay
central east correction centre. I am a conventional refugee from Somalia, I have been
kept in detention for being a flight risk and a danger to the public. I have not been
convicted of a violent offence, I have paid my debt to society and now am being kept
in detention for over three years. I cannot return to my country for fear of loosing
my life in unstable Somalia. I am being kept in detention for not signing my life away
for Canada to remove me to Somalia. Without signing my rights away as a
conventional refugee I am not cooperating with my removal so I stay in detention
and I get every 30 days detention review and I get worsening outcome at my
detention review and remanded for another 30 days. Canada should be able to
follow the steps taken by our neighbours and other countries around the world and
have a 90 day period. If Canada cannot deport migrants they should release
migrants on conditions. Canada separates migrants from their families by keeping
migrants in maximum security institutions, like this one in Lindsay Ontario which is
far away for our families to visit. Some of us completed our sentences and still are
being held in corrections institutions where we face constant lockdowns, which
result to mental health issues. Some of us never committed a crime in Canada and
kept in this institutions for years because of federal official worries that we may not
show up for some future hearings. Canada is violating our human rights. End
indefinite detention.
Yours truly,
Abdi
Name: Egbe Cyprian Chuks
D of B: 09-10-1978
Citizenship: Nigeria
Years in Canada: 182 days
Length/Time in detention: 182 days
Date: 28/May/15
I came into Canada on 29th of November 2014, I made a refugee claim at the Airport,
and since then I have been in detention, from one maximum security prison to
another, with no hearing date set for the refugee protection hearing to determine
my fate. I have attended nine detention review hearing without any change of being
released. They keep saying I am a flight risk. I have no criminal record, in Canada or
anywhere in the world.
The CBSA took my phones, I have no contact of anyone, including my family
members who can help me to get someone to stand for my bail.
Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) told Toronto Bail Program not to consider my
Bail Application, because I am a flight risk.
Assessments of Canada and Detention:
I believe that the Canada border Service Agency (CBSA) is violating people’s Human
Right and Freedom ranging from invention of privacy, physical and mental abuse,
lying and making up stories to incriminate an innocent person just to make them
inadmissible into Canada.
They use the lengthy detention to frustrate the person into signing removal order or
deportation order. This makes some people abandon pending refugee claims and
other immigration cases and leave Canada against their will, not considering the risk
or persecution or harm they will face in their country.
Recommendation:
I recommend an oversight to look into the activities of the Canadian Boarder
Service Agency (CBSA) and a review on the length of detention.
To put a stop in detaining refugee claimants and immigrants in a maximum security
jail.
Complaints About Detention Conditions:
I am having a terrible experience being in jail, as I have not been in jail before.
As for me everything in maximum security jail is wrong, starting from the constant
lock downs, to food, to strip search (twice every month). When we are on lockdowns
that means no shower or change of clothes for how many days it will last.
Food, there is nothing good to talk about it, most of the time I throw them away and
stay hungry.
We have no access to call anyone outside Lindsay so you need a three way to call
even your lawyer.
Name: Tyron John Richard
Date of Birth: Sept 8, 1987
Citizenship: Grenada
Years in Canada: 12 years continuously (landed July 31, 2003)
Length of time in detention: 5 months (arrested on Jan. 07, 2015)
I am currently detained at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, ON. My
detention has been very hard, not just on myself, but on my family as well. My
detention for removal is based on the issue of me failing to change my address with
the Immigration Appeal Division. I did not understand fully the conditions that were
imposed upon me. I am the sole bread winner for my family and ever since my
arrest, I’ve been unable to tend to their needs. I think that it is very unfair to us as
human beings to be detained and for such long periods of time. We are husbands,
fathers, brothers, uncles, and even grand-parents just like everyone else. We also
share responsibilities as well. The last time that I saw my children I had dropped
them off to school and daycare before heading off to work. That leaves them very
confused and saddened, wondering where I am and when I am coming home. That is
a question that I am often faced with during the limited times that I get to speak to
them on the phone. A question that I cannot answer which brings tears to my eyes
every time.
The living condition of my detention is very challenging mentally. The living area is
very dirty as well as the shower walls. We are only given a clothing change twice per
week and we often are locked down, some times for the entire day. We receive
searches that require us to get completely naked, which makes you feel violated as a
person especially not having been charged with anything. 16.5 hours of the day are
spent locked up in a small cell that can sometimes be very humid. The majority of
persons here like myself that are being detained are from Toronto which makes it
very difficult for our families to come visit us. The connection and minute rate of
making phone calls to Toronto are very high as our families cannot afford such
charges which can result in the disconection of the telephone line and services.
On the topic of the assessment of Canada and detention, I would like to see an end to
immigration detention overall or a maximum time limit of 60-90 days if removal
cannot occur within that time. It is very unfair that someone can be detained for
many months which can also lead to years, time that we are losing innocently and
will never be able to get back. Since I’ve been detained, I’ve missed 3 of my
children’s birthdays and I will most likely miss my other babies birthdays because I
am still being held. It is very sad to know that other countries have implemented a
limit to their detention holds, but Canada doesn’t. it would be great to see a change
to the rules and regulations concerning immigration laws here in Canada, in
particular detention because it not only affects us, but also damages our families,
communities, employment, education. It affects everyone.
Thank you,
T. Richard
Name: Eugene Smith
Date of Birth: Feb 17, 1949
Citizenship: Jamaica
Years in Canada: 26+
Length of time in detention: 18 months continuously.
Detention Conditions and Concerns:
-The living area is dirty.
-I have some medical conditions that makes it very difficult for me to get
comfortable in my cell: the walls are very cold as I suffer from sickle cells which is
very challenging for me.
-The food is very bad.
-I also suffer from a heart disease that requires me to receive medication three times
per day: during the morning, at noon, and at night.
-I am not able to obtain a lawyer in order to represent my case. I do not have access
to any help.
-The showers are dirty and there are many bacterial agents on the walls.
-We only receive a clothing change two times per week.
-I get searched like a criminal.
Changes to Immigration Detention:
-I would like to see an end to immigration detention.
-I would like to see a time limit to detention holds.
Thank you,
E. Smith
Name: Tigana Tulloch
D.O.B.: Aug/27/87
Citizenship: Jamaica
Years in Canada: 20 years
Time in Detention: 30 months
I am a citizen of Jamaica and I came to Canada as an 8 year old boy. I have lived here
for twenty years and my whole family is in Canada. I was a permanent resident of
Canada and when I was a teenager got in trouble with the law and got convicted. I
also got convicted when I was an adult and now I am deemed unfit to stay in Canada.
I have been ordered deported and have since been in detention in Lindsay Ontario. I
have been in detention for 2 ½ years and it seems I cannot be deported and my
detention is indefinite. The detention hearing is a joke just a way to justify my
lengthy detention. The way I am being treated is inhumane and it feels like us being
held in detention has no rights. I think, like other country’s there should be a 90
days max detention time instead of what we have now which is no limit.
Tigana T.
Name: Louis Duncan
D.O.B.: Sept 11th 1964
Citizenship- Liberia
Years in Canada- 25 years
Time in detention- 11 months
I am a citizen of Liberia, I can to Canada in 1991 and was deemed a conventional
refugee in 1992. Subsequently after that I got my residency, but later on I had
problems with the law and got convictions. I was ordered deported because of my
convictions.
The Canada immigration have been trying to get me out of the country for the past
18 years unsuccessfully. Now I have been detained since July 2014 and in custody.
The Canadian immigration have been trying to obtain travelling document from the
Liberian consulate unsuccessfully for 18 years and now in January 2015 they
decided I am not a Liberian, but a Nigerian citizen. This is now a ground and right
for them to keep me in custody indefinitely.
Mr. Dave Louis of the CBSA told me he will keep me in custody for two years. He said
if I cooperate with him by agreeing that I am from Nigeria he will get a travelling
document from Nigerian consulate and send me to that country.
I am from Liberia and I want to be sent back there.
I don’t want to be sent to a country that I don’t know nothing about the people,
lifestyle or language.
Please help out here anybody.
Thank you.
Louis Duncan
Twain Anthony Reeves
Nov/7/85
Citizen: Jamaica
25 years I live in Canada in all (16 month) I have been in detention first in the West
Detention then after to Lindsay Detention Centre. The living conditions at the
Lindsay Detention Centre is not right for any person that don’ have any charges
going on. Other countries max time in detention (60-90 day) completed to Canada
which has no limit which I think is a little unreasonable some might say. Being in
Lindsay is also unreasonable to family because majority of us are from Toronto. We
have no charges but yet still we are in a maximum security institution and they give
us phone that we can’t even use to call who we need to help us the most in time of
need, we think that this is a little discouraging and irrational. Canada immigration is
destitute. Normal humanitarian compassionate grounds people that been in Canada
for years, and now you tell them to go; that’s very devastating to them and their
family and that puts them in circumstances of hopelessness and the ones that don’t
have family back in their country in desperation or depression.