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Detention
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Far too often, refugee claimants and others in search of a better future arrive in Canada or another wealthy country and are put into “detention”. They are arrested and locked up, labeled as “illegals” and treated as common criminals. Churches around the world are concerned by the increasing use of detention to control cross-border movement by asylum seekers and other migrants. Detention, already common practice for northern governments, has increased significantly since 9-11. Increased numbers translate into concerns about unjust or “arbitrary” detentions, hardened attitudes and mistreatment of detainees, as well as weakened protection for those fleeing persecution. At the same time, use of the language of national security to justify detention practices has created a difficult climate for refugee advocates to push their concerns with government. The World Council of Churches Global Ecumenical Network focused its 2005 annual meeting on detention concerns and issued a joint declaration entitled “Punishing the victims of persecution: The churches speak out on detention.” This statement was used by WCC staff and network members to advocate on detention concerns at the annual NGO consultations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Canada and detentionIn the Canadian context, refugee advocates are concerned about
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