Private Guards Spark Immigration Detention Debate
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتساب
New federal funding for the Canada Border Services Agency has sparked debate after the government allocated money for contracted private-sector guards at immigration holding centres. The union representing CBSA workers says the work should be carried out by federal staff, not private contractors.
The federal spring economic update listed 238 million dollars in funding for the CBSA to contract guards with higher security training at immigration holding centres, with 153 million dollars coming from existing departmental resources. Canada’s immigration detention system includes facilities in Surrey, Toronto, Laval, and the designated immigrant station in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec.
A CBSA spokesperson said the funding is not for additional guard resources, but to maintain uninterrupted service as existing guard contracts expire. The agency said CBSA staff do not conduct guard services; instead, they determine detention placement, ensure detainees understand their immigration cases, meet with detainees, and monitor behaviour. Contracted guards assist with duties such as security, movement within facilities, visitor management, and transportation.
The CBSA says responsibility and accountability for the care, custody, and oversight of detainees remains with the agency, and that contractor involvement does not remove its obligation to ensure detention conditions meet Canadian and international standards. As of May 15, the agency had active contracts with Garda Canada Security Corporation and GardaWorld worth about 248 million dollars, as well as a contract with Commissionaires BC worth about 11.7 million dollars.
The Customs and Immigration Union expressed disappointment over the continued reliance on private guards in a sensitive detention environment. National president Mark Weber cited the case of Lucia Vega Jimenez, who died after being found hanging in Vancouver airport holding cells in 2013. A coroner’s jury later recommended that immigration holding centres be staffed by CBSA employees, not private contractors.
The CBSA says some contracted guards receive higher-level training to manage higher-risk individuals, including first aid, CPR, restraint equipment, disruptive behaviour, de-escalation, mental health, suicide and self-harm prevention, hostage situations, and substance abuse and addiction.
The debate raises a larger question about immigration detention in Canada: who should be responsible for daily care and control inside facilities holding people who may be involved in immigration, removal, or risk-assessment proceedings, but who are not necessarily serving criminal sentences?
The issue is especially sensitive as the CBSA continues to operate detention spaces capable of handling higher-risk individuals, including the designated immigrant station at Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, alongside immigration holding centres in Toronto, Laval, and Surrey.
For immigrant communities in Canada, the story is not only about staffing contracts. It is about training, accountability, safety, rights protection, and how quickly detention staff can respond to medical, psychological, or security concerns inside immigration facilities.
