The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
National Post – CBSA Has Increased Deportations, Though Removals of Irregular Asylum Seekers Remain Low
Removals from Canada have dropped significantly in the last several years, from more than 19,000 people in 2012-13 to around 8,000 in recent years. But that number climbed to roughly 9,500 people in 2018-19, following an internal effort to speed up the pace of deportations. The numbers remain low for removals of failed irregular asylum seekers — those who enter Canada from the U.S. between official border crossings, but who are unsuccessful in claiming refugee status — even though Ottawa has said it is prioritizing their removal.
National Post – ‘Could Be 48 Hours … Or Five Years’: Five Things to Know About Canadian Immigration Detention Centres
The treatment of migrants has recently been thrust into the spotlight as accounts emerge of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in American border detention facilities. Here’s a look at how Canada deals with immigration detainees: 1) immigration holding centres, sometimes jails; 2) thousands held; 3) limited amenities; 4) Parents decide if families stay together; and 5) leaving can be hard.
CBC News – Families of Mexican Men Arrested in London, Ont., Are Looking for Answers
Shendely Ortega says her husband, Eduardo Longinos, 29, came to Canada to make money so they could pay for their daughter’s expensive medical treatments in Mexico. “She has a complicated kidney disease,” Ortega said. But now, her husband is in a detention centre in Toronto, uncertain of the future. He’s one of 12 men arrested in June on outstanding immigration charges in London, Ont. “His only goal is to give his family a better quality of life,” Ortega said between tears, speaking to CBC from Mexico.
CBC News – Citizenship Question Causing an Uproar in U.S. Has Been Part of Canada’s Census Since 1901
A politically divisive debate continues to rage over U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to add a citizenship or nationality question to the U.S. census. That same question has been part of Canada’s census form for over a century without a ripple. Canada’s own long form census asks: “Of what country is this person a citizen?” Respondents have a choice of three possible answers: “Canada, by birth,” “Canada, by naturalization” or “Other country – specify.”
The Guardian – Canada Pension Fund Quietly Divests From US Migrant Detention Firms
Late last year, the Guardian reported that the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) held nearly US$8m in stock in Geo Group and CoreCivic, which between them hold the lion’s share of contracts to manage Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facilities in the US. The CPPIB did not make a public statement when it dropped the two companies from its list of foreign public equity holdings, but the change was spotted this week by the federal MP Charlie Angus.
CBC News – ‘Vancouver Is Heaven’: Why More Hong Kong Residents Are Considering Moving to Canada
There are more than 300,000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong, and experts say some are making the move overseas. According to John Hu, an immigration consultant based in Hong Kong, the high costs of living in the city have long been pushing residents out the door. But conflict surrounding the controversial extradition legislation has fed a recent surge in prospective immigrants.
