Refugee claimants spend less time detained

But alternatives are running into glitches, hurdles

OTTAWA • Canada’s border agency says refugee claimants and other foreign nationals are spending less time behind bars thanks in part to new alternatives like voice reporting and GPS monitoring using ankle bracelets, but refugee advocates and internal documents suggest the new programs have been slow to pick up steam.

The Canada Border Services Agency says nearly one in four people detained in the first quarter of this fiscal year were released on alternatives to detention (ATD), and points to declines in the average length of detention.

But observers say the expanded program has encountered hurdles, including technical glitches and problems finding suitable housing. Internal documents obtained through access-to-information show the GPS monitoring program, which uses ankle bracelets for tracking, enrolled fewer people than expected during its first several months. One person in the program absconded last December, though the CBSA says the issue was resolved.

The Liberal government launched the expanded program in June 2018, part of an initiative to improve conditions in immigration detention and reduce the number of minors being held in detention centres.

The announcement came shortly after the Trump administration, facing a public backlash, ended its zero-tolerance policy that separated thousands of children from their parents at the U.s.-mexico border. The outcry shone more light on Canada’s own immigration detention system, which saw 151 minors held in detention in 2017-18.

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