#which is being investigated/sued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars

[rightsinexile]

Newsletter: Detention workshop update, 28 November 2017

The Detention Workshop newsletter is published by the Centre of Ethics at Trinity College, Toronto.

News articles

AFP (2017, 21 November). "Hundreds of migrants held in jail in Spain." Yahoo News.

Bakst, E. (2017, 22 November). "Immigration Detention is Making Kids Sick." Human Rights First Blog.

Barros, A. (2017, 14 November). "Behind the Doors of Immigrant Detention." Voice of America.

BBC World Service (2017, 15 November). "Yarl's Wood immigration centre: Questions over need to detain women." BBC News.

Two-thirds of women held at an immigration removal centre are later released into the community, a watchdog report has revealed.

Brittain, A. and D. Harwell (2017, 25 October). "Private-prison giant, resurgent in Trump era, gathers at president’s resort." The Washington Post.

Burnett, J. (2017, 21 November). "Big Money As Private Immigrant Jails Boom." NPR National News.

The Canadian Press (2017, 19 October). "Conditional sentences don't count as jail time in immigration law: Supreme Court." National Post.

CBS This Morning (2017, 16 November). "Inside ICE's controversial crackdown on MS-13." CBS News.

Chabria, A. and N. Chavez (2017, 22 November). "Court rules feds can’t hold group of immigrant minors on gang allegations without access to a judge." Sacramento Bee.

Chen, M. (2017, 11 October). "ICE’s Captive Immigrant Labor Force." The Nation.

Across the country, ICE detainees are allegedly being coerced into performing work without proper compensation.

Dearden, L. (2017, 27 September). "'They called us dogs': Samim Bigzad describes alleged abuse at G4S immigration detention centre." The Independent.

Exclusive: ‘It’s a dangerous place’: Samim Bigzad says he saw abuse and drug smuggling at Brook House.

Delzo, J. (2017, 30 September). "ICE Sanctuary City Raid Arrests Many Nonviolent Offenders." Newsweek.

Nearly 500 undocumented immigrants were arrested this week, as part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, dubbed “Safe City.” The agency claims that their main target during the nationwide sweep was those with criminal convictions and charges. ICE’s data shows that very few individuals were convicted of violent crimes.

Edelman, A. (2017, 08 October). "Sanctuary Cities: Three States, Three Very Different Approaches." NBC News.

Egelko, B. (2017, 02 October). "Court eases bail rules for detained immigrants." SF Gate.

Elbagir, N., et al. (2017, 15 November). "People for sale." CNN. 

Where lives are auctioned for $400.

Farrell, P., et al. (2017, 30 October). "Worse Than A War Zone: The Life-Threatening Medical Delays In Australia’s Immigration Detention Regime." BuzzFeed News.

“The people I saw in Nauru, and the state they were in after being locked up there for three or four years, to me was in a way more traumatic than anything I’d seen in Afghanistan,” a whistleblower has revealed.

Gault, L. (2017, 05 October). "A Second Chance for Detained Asylum Seekers in Jennings v. Rodriguez." Human Rights First.

Harris, K. (2017, 20 November). "15,000 on Canada's deportation list, but some 'uncooperative' countries won't take their citizens back." CBC News.

Canada Border Services Agency won't name countries, but says 'engagement strategies' are underway

Hill, A. (2017, 01 November). "Vulnerable women ‘still locked up in Yarl's Wood immigration centre’." The Guardian.

Report reveals breaches of UK government policy stating survivors of sexual violence should not be detained.

Hing, J. (2017, 20 November). "ICE Admits Gang Operations Are Designed to Lock Up Immigrants." The Nation.

The gang database is a weapon that allows ICE agents to indiscriminately round up immigrants of color.

Hoffman, M. (2017, 27 September). "Trump Sent Judges to the Border. Many Had Nothing to Do." Politico.

The administration's plan to speed up deportations and reduce the immigration court backlog might be making things worse.

Jax, K. (2017, 04 November). "Petra Glynt recounts her harrowing 51 hours in immigrant detention in the UK." NOW Magazine.

After crowdfunding her way back onto her European tour, the artist has some advice to fellow touring musicians.

Kennedy, B. (2017, 02 November). "50-year-old woman dies in immigration detention." Toronto Star.

The woman, whose identity and cause of death were not disclosed by the Canada Border Services Agency, is the fourth person to die in immigration detention in the last two years.

Keung, N. (2017, 01 October). "Asylum-seeker sues federal government over ‘humiliating’ 5-year imprisonment." The Toronto Star.

Abdirahmaan Warssama claimed he was held in jail for refusing to sign a "voluntary statutory declaration" that would indicate he volunteered to return to Somalia.

Keung, N. (2017, 08 October). "Canada blasted for ‘needlessly punitive’ immigration detention system." Toronto Star.

A group of prominent human and civil rights organizations has filed a joint submission to the UN Human Rights Council, saying Canada’s treatment of immigration detainees violates international law.

Kim, K. (2017, 28 September). "Immigrants held in remote ICE facilities struggle to find legal aid before they’re deported." Los Angeles Times.

Without a lawyer, immigrants in the U.S. illegally can be deported within days of being detained by authorities. Attorneys say the practice of keeping them in facilities far from larger cities makes finding legal assistance difficult, if not impossible.

Larson, H. (2017, 02 November). "Immigration Detainers: A Guide for the Perplexed." LawFare Blog.

Local opposition to federal immigration enforcement is often treated as an ideological issue, with fights over sanctuary cities breaking down along familiar political lines. But setting politics aside, several local law enforcement agencies worry that they cannot lawfully comply with one important aspect of federal immigration enforcement—the immigration detainer. This post explains what immigration detainers are, charts a brief history of their use and discusses the current legal challenges they face.

Lee, E. Y.-H. (2017, 18 October). "ICE detained immigrant after his green card interview, ‘forcibly pushed out’ lawyer and interpreter." Think Progress.

"It was a complete shock."

Lee, E. Y.-H. (2017, 31 October). "Private prison CEO ‘very pleased’ by ‘improved occupancy rates’ at immigration detention centers." Think Progress.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is this private prison operator's number one customer.

Lind, D. (2017, 08 October). "White House to Congress: we'll legalize DACA recipients if you crack down on most other immigrants." Vox.

Trump’s “priorities”: restrict asylum, limit family-based legal migration, and build the wall — in exchange for giving legal status, but not citizenship, to 700,000 people.

Lind, D. (2017, 09 November). "A New York courtroom gave every detained immigrant a lawyer. The results were staggering." Vox.

And now a dozen more cities are getting on board.

Macareg, S. (2017, 28 October). "Inside a private prison’s $150M deal to detain immigrants in New Mexico." Santa Fe New Mexican / Reveal News.

Miroff, N. (2017, 28 September). "Deportations slow under Trump despite increase in arrests by ICE." The Washington Post.

Modarressy-Tehrani, C. (2017, 22 November). "This Kenyan immigrant was locked up for nearly 10 years without bail." Vice News.

Molnar, P. and S. J. Silverman (2017, 15 November). "Migrants are dying in Canadian detention centres. The government needs to act." Maclean’s Magazine.

Morrissey, K. (2017, 17 October). "Edmonton attack suspect had history in San Diego immigration detention." The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Napoleon, C. (2017, 06 October). "Protesters rally for immigrants at Gary airport: ‘We will not stand by and see our neighbors deported’." Chicago Tribune.

Newton, C. (2017, 21 November). "ICE ordered to 'redo' asylum parole in detention centre." Al Jazeera.

Nielsen, N. (2017, 27 September). "Europol keen to bend rules on Libya cases." EU Observer.

Posner, L. (2017, 04 November). "6 ICE horror stories: Astonishing levels of taxpayer-funded cruelty against undocumented immigrants." Salon / AlterNet.

The agency conspires to target vulnerable people with no criminal record

Rayner, L. (2017, 19 October). "The truth about Canada’s immigration detention system is shocking: Reasonable Doubt." Now Magazine.

Thousands of people are jailed in maximum security prisons across Canada without charges – and it’s all legal.

Rivero, D. and B. O’Connor (2017, 03 October). "This Is What It Looks Like When the President Asks People to Snitch on Their Neighbors." Splinter News.

Roberts, R. and C. Baynes (2017, 19 November). "Austrian authorities investigate after 11-year-old Afghan boy 'kills himself in refugee camp'." The Independent.

The child was left to care for his six siblings, according to reports.

Schamisso, B. (2017, 02 October). "This Immigrant Is Fighting Chicago Police Over Alleged Gang List Error." Newsy.

An undocumented immigrant is suing Chicago to get his name off the city's controversial gang list, which could protect him from being deported.

Scherer, S. (2017, 26 September). "Rescue ship says Libyan coast guard shot at and boarded it, seeking migrants." Reuters.

Schoichet, C. E. (2017, 13 October). "They have one-way tickets, paid for by Washington." CNN.

Behind the scenes on an ICE Air deportation flight.

Sherman, T. (2017, 20 November). "Why are immigration cases in N.J. being heard by judges in Puerto Rico?" New Jersey Real-Time News.

Staff Writer (2017, 01 October). "Brexit: European Commission investigating sharp rise in detention and deportation of EU citizens from UK." The Independent.

Deportations are at their highest since records began, with 5,301 EU nationals removed during the year ending June 2017.

Staff Writer. (2017, 19 November). Israel to deport 40,000 African refugees without their consent. DeutscheWelle.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced an unspecified international deal to expel some 40,000 African asylum seekers from the country. The Israeli Cabinet also voted to shut down a migration center.

Stanton, J. (2017, 23 October). "So Many Father-Led Families Are Crossing The US Border That Immigration Agents Don’t Have Room To Hold Them." BuzzFeed News.

Activists say the jump in dads and kids is a result of a US crackdown on moms crossing the border with children. “We see as many fathers with children as pregnant women or moms with kids. It used to be so rare,” said one immigrant service provider.

Staton, B. (2017, 10 October). "The Verne immigration detention centre in Dorset to close and be turned into prison." Sky News.

The number of immigration detention places could drop by 20% when The Verne, which holds 580 people, is converted into a prison.

Steinle, M. (2017, 07 September). "Slave Labor Widespread at ICE Detention Centers, Lawyers Say." Project on Government Oversight.

Taylor, D. (2017, 04 October). "Investigation begins after Jamaican detainee, 38, dies." The Guardian.

Human rights campaigners sound alarm over ‘systemic failings’ after third such death in the UK in a month.

Taylor, D. (2017, 10 October). "Torture victims were wrongly imprisoned in UK, high court rules." The Guardian.

Home Office expected to face dozens of claims for unlawful detention after legal challenge by survivors of serious abuse.

Taylor, D. (2017, 20 November). "Fourth death at Lincoln immigration removal centre prompts inquiry." The Guardian.

Death of 27-year-old Iraqi man at Morton Hall immigration removal centre is fourth fatality at centre in a year.

Tognotti, C. (2017, 15 October). "Who Is Paul Penzone? The Sheriff Is Turning Joe Arpaio's Tent City Into A Rehab For Opioid Addicts." Bustle.

Travis, A. (2017, 02 November). "More than 140,000 told by UK immigration they face removal – watchdog." The Guardian.

Borders inspector’s reports give indication of how many are in Britain without legal status and may be forced to leave.

Travis, A. (2017, 15 November). "More rape and torture victims being held at Yarl's Wood, report says." The Guardian.

Chief inspector of prisons expresses concern that Home Office refused to accept rape came within legal definition of torture.

Watts, J. (2017, 18 October). "Amber Rudd faces inquiry after 'abhorrent abuse' of immigrants at G4S detention centre." The Independent.

The UK's equality watchdog has said the inquiry must look at Home Office handling of all outsourced contracts.

Woodman, S. (2017, 10 October). "ICE Detainee Sent to Solitary Confinement for Encouraging Protest of ‘Voluntary’ Low-Wage Labor." The Intercept.

Xinhua (2017, 08 October). "3,000 Europe-bound illegal immigrants found in Libya's Sabratha." New China.

Yee, V. (2017, 25 November). "‘Please, God, Don’t Let Me Get Stopped’: Around Atlanta, No Sanctuary for Immigrants." The New York Times.

Yeung, R. (2017, 24 October). "Immigration detention quarters planned for Hong Kong mega-bridge." South China Morning Post.

Facility on artificial island will be operated exclusively by immigration officers

Manus Island camp closure of Papua New Guinea

AAP (2017, 31 October). "Timeline of Manus Island detention centre." SBS.

The Manus Island offshore immigration detention centre is due to close on Tuesday after a chequered history dating back to 2001.

Owira, P. (2017, 11 November). "Papua New Guinea destroys refugee shelters at Manus immigration centre." TRT World.

Hundreds of asylum-seekers are adamant they will not leave the Australian offshore prison despite police calls for evacuation. Those holed up at the prison say they would rather live in squalid conditions than risk the alternatives provided.

Packham, C. (2017, 23 October). "Australia to spend up to $195 million housing refugees after PNG detention centre closes." Reuters. Retrieved 25 October, 2017, from

Parkes, Z. (2017). "Seven things you need to know about the Manus crisis." Green Left Australia.

Westbrook, T. and J. Barrett (2017, 24 November). "PNG police evict asylum-seekers from Australian-run camp, UNHCR decries force used." Reuters.

"We did our best to send out our voice but the government does not care"

* PNG police clear last asylum-seekers from closed camp

* Australia govt says men won't be resettled in Australia

* Fate of asylum seekers remains unclear

Legal battle over Jane Doe abortion in USA

Sacchetti, M. (2017, 18 October). "U.S. judge orders Trump administration to allow abortion for undocumented teen." The Washington Post.

BUT Sacchetti, M. and A. E. Marimow (2017, 19 October). "Appeals court to review judge’s order allowing abortion for undocumented teen immigrant." The Washington Post.

THEN O’Connor, E. (2017, 25 October). "Undocumented Teenager At The Center Of A Court Case Just Obtained The Abortion She Sought." BuzzFeed News.

The news comes a day after a federal court ruled she should be allowed to get the abortion.

AND Marcus, R. (2017, 23 October). "Opinion: The Trump administration is holding a teenager hostage over abortion." The Washington Post.

See, also, Chappell, B. (2017, 25 October). "'Jane Doe' Immigrant Has Abortion In Texas, After Battle With Trump Administration." NPR.

Scholarly work

Missbach, A. (2017). "Accommodating Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Indonesia: From Immigration Detention to Containment in “Alternatives to Detention”." Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees 33(02): 32 - 44.

Considered the last ‘stepping stone’ before Australia, Indonesia plays an important role in immobilising secondary movements of asylum seekers and refugees in Southeast Asia. While migration scholarship has dedicated substantial attention to immigration detention and the deplorable living conditions inside immigration detention centres (IDCs), this article explores “alternatives to detention” (ATD) in two Indonesian localities: the city of Makassar and the province of Aceh. Seeking to contribute to a critical examination of ATD more generally, this article examines individual freedom, mobility, mechanisms of care and aid provision, protection of rights, self-determination, and matters of personal safety. The article illustrates the remaining limitations and the lack of rights that asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia continue to face outside of IDCs. A durable solution, in the form of integration, is not available to asylum seekers and refugees, as they are prevented from integrating into the local host societies, and their social and economic mobility remains widely restricted. Yet at the same time, despite more physical mobility in ATD, asylum seekers and refugees remain contained within Indonesia as their onward movement remains deterred as well.

Molnar, P. (2017). “Discretion to Deport: Intersections between Health and Detention of Syrian Refugees in Jordan.” Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees 33(02): 18 – 31.

Detention and deportation of migrants is a clear performance of state sovereignty that relies on discretionary practices and policies. The ongoing conflict in Syria highlights the strain and social disruption in neighbouring countries that host the majority of the world’s Syrian refugees. This article looks at Jordan’s policies to detain and deport Syrian refugees. Documented reasons for detention and deportations include work permit infractions, including the deportation of Syrian doctors and medical practitioners, as well as deportations for communicable diseases. Detention and deportation policies in Jordan are highly discretionary, making interventions and advocacy on behalf of those detained difficult. Detention and deportation can also have disproportionate impact on populations that are already marginalized, including members of the LGBTI community, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and those engaged in sex work.

Pegler-Gordon, A. (2017). ""New York Has a Concentration Camp of Its Own": Japanese Confinement on Ellis Island during World War II." Journal of Asian American Studies 20(03): 373 - 404.

Although it has been overlooked in histories of both Ellis Island and Japanese American wartime confinement, Ellis Island was not only an immigration station but also a World War II "enemy alien" internment camp. Japanese New Yorkers varied in their responses to detention at Ellis Island, but they shared experiences of being separated from their families, confined in close quarters, and questioned about their loyalty. These experiences created complex conflicts of identity and loyalty for many detainees, with some insisting upon their Americanness and others seeking repatriation to Japan. Internees' families also struggled emotionally and financially. The use of Ellis Island as a World War II confinement site shows the ways in which immigration officials were well trained in the work of alien detention, immigration stations were used extensively as detention centers, and wartime actions against Japanese nationals were part of a broad history of Asian exclusion.

Zwi, K., et al. (2017). "The impact of detention on the social–emotional wellbeing of children seeking asylum: a comparison with community-based children." European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Advanced Access Online: 1 - 12.

Accumulating literature demonstrates that immigration detention is harmful to children. However, there is a scarcity of scientifically rigorous and reliable data about the health of children held in detention facilities. The aim of the study was to compare a community-based population of recently arrived refugee children flown into Australia, not detained, resettled in a non-urban area, with a population of children who arrived by boat seeking asylum, detained since arrival. The parent-version of the strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) of children aged 4–15 years was compared in children living in the community with those held in detention. We compared 86 children who had a parent-completed SDQ performed, 38 (44%) in the community group and 48 (56%) in the detention group. The community sample had been living in Australia for 325 days, with no time in detention. The detention sample had been living in detention for a mean of 221 days. The mean age was similar for the community and detention sample at 8.4 years (P = 0.18). In the total sample, children in the detention group had significantly higher SDQ total difficulties scores than children in the community group (P < 0.0001). There was no difference between age groups (P = 0.82). The children in the detention group had, on average, an SDQ total difficulties score that was 12 points higher than children in the community group. Four of the five SDQ subscale scores indicated greater disturbance amongst children in detention (< 0.0001) compared to children living in the community. The detention group had significantly higher scores (P < 0.001) for all except Pro-social scores as compared to Australian norms for the 4–6 and 7–15 years age group. This study presents a rare opportunity to compare the wellbeing of displaced children who were detained following arrival in Australia with those settled in the Australian community since arrival. The community children’s scores approximated data from the general Australian childhood population. Children held in detention had significantly more social, emotional and behavioural difficulties than children living in the community, and at levels resembling a clinical cohort. Despite the small sample size, data restrictions and other limitations of the data, statistical significance in differences between the community and detention children is marked and arguably demonstrates the negative impact of post-arrival detention in children who are presumed to have similar levels of pre-arrival adversity. If the objective is to optimise the health and wellbeing of children seeking asylum, removal of post-arrival detention is one of the most powerful interventions available to host countries.

Reports

Human Rights First (2017). "Judge and Jailer: Asylum Seekers Denied Parole in Wake of Trump Executive Order."

On January 25, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to allocate “all legally available resources” to construct and operate immigration detention facilities and hold immigrants there for the duration of their court proceedings. In the eight months since, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has largely refused to release asylum seekers from detention on parole, leaving many locked up in immigration detention facilities and jails.

Jobs

Communications Consultant

The Global Detention Project, a non-profit organization based in Geneva that investigates immigration detention globally, is seeking qualified, junior-level applicants for the post of externally based “Communications Consultant.” The position will initially be based on a part-time, limited-term contract (4-6 months) with the possibility of extending the contract or making the position permanent.

For more information, see:

https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/job-announcement-communication-consultant

Conference announcement

McGill Advanced Study Institute presents “Challenging Migrant Detention: Human Rights, Advocacy and Mental Health”, 19-21 June 2018, Montreal, Canada

The world is facing unprecedented numbers of forcibly displaced persons. Notions of the unwanted “Other”, the “illegal” migrant, and the “bogus” refugee are increasingly prominent in public discourse of destination countries, lending support to stringent border control policies whereby states incarcerate asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and other foreign nationals in immigration detention centres, prisons and camps. This structural violence primarily targets racialised populations from the Global South.

This international conference and workshop will bring together scholars in the fields of cultural  psychiatry, human rights, criminology, psychology, anthropology and sociology, along with practitioners working with detained migrants, to consider the current trends in immigration detention and border control. Questions to be addressed will include:

• What are the roles of research, clinical interventions, judicial procedures and advocacy in improving detention conditions and promoting alternatives to detention?

• How can humanitarian, human rights and sociopolitical perspectives be integrated in a comprehensive critical analysis of immigration detention?

• How does advocacy complement clinical care in promoting the mental health and well-being of migrants facing detention?

• How can we address the fears and prejudices used to legitimate immigration detention?

• What is the role of migrant resistance strategies?

• How can detainees’ lived experiences clarify the impact of immigration detention?

• How can we navigate the ethical and methodological challenges of fieldwork with detainees?

Workshop (19 June) for researchers, practitioners and advocates working on issues of immigration detention and border control, at the Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Room G-23, 4333

Chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine, Montreal, QC

Public Conference (20-21 June) New Residence Hall, 3625 Park Ave, Montreal, QC

Guest Faculty: Eleanor Acer, Dominic Aitken, Efrat Arbel, Idil Atak, Jacqueline Bhabha, Mary

Bosworth, Andrew Crosby, Daniela DeBono, Francesca Esposito, Andriani Fili, Michael Flynn,

Alice Gerlach, Hanna Gros, Jenny Jeanes, Blerina Kellezi, Sarah Mares, Samer Muscati, Delphine Nakache, Maayan Ravid

McGill Faculty : Janet Cleveland, François Crépeau, Rachel Kronick, Cécile Rousseau, Kazue Takamura

The 2018 Advanced Study Institute is jointly organised by the Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry and the SHERPA Research Centre, in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other associations.

For ASI program updates and registration, please consult the SHERPA website. There will be poster sessions on 20-21 June 2018. To submit a poster, please fill out the online form before 1 February 2018.

#Detention workshop update: 28 November 2017 #detention #january #newsetters #newsletter2018 #january 2018