Deaths in Detention=TranLink’s and the Canadian Border Services Agency’s Fatal Failure to Learn From Their Many Mistakes.

Canadians now know, very well, the story of Lucia Vega Jimenez, the Mexican woman who hanged herself in a Canada Border Services cell in Vancouver’s airport. But not because of the people responsible for her wellbeing. We know her story because members of the Mexican-Canadian community came forward and made it impossible to ignore.

Until recently, Canada’s Border Services Agency did not tell anyone when people – refugee claimants, immigrant detainees–died in its custody.

A local Television station, found details on many deaths, through painstaking searches, of coroner’s reports, and databases; the reports sent to Canada’s Border Services Agency, where they were, later, confirmed.

Dozens of people gathered outside the Main Street Skytrain station on Sunday12/14/2014, to mark one year since a Mexican woman killed herself while in the custody of the Canadian Border Services Agency at Vancouver International Airport (YCR). Lucia Vega Jimenez had been taken into custody by TransLink Police (a “private” police force, operating as a part of TransLink; which is, legally, a Crown-Publically owned TRANSIT SERVICE); then turned over to the custody of the Canadian Border Services Agency. She later took her own life.

The airport is located on federal land, and is not subject to the jurisdiction of the City of Richmond. TransLink Police Are NOT Immigration Officials-Are Not Federal-Or Even A Provincial Or City, Police Force-Have NO Authority Other Than On Translink Sites. Transit evasion is STILL considered a minor misdemeanour; Transit/TransLink, or Any Other Privately Empowered Police Force, Had and Have-NO Legal Right To Make An Arrest on immigration related charges. Even the RCMP- who do have federal authorisation- would have to show “Just Cause” in order to legally, make an arrest and yet, demonstrators say transit police reported hundreds of people to the Canadian Services Agency last year. Many residents of British Columbia, many Canadians believe, as I do, racial profiling is an issue.

The protesters are very justifiably concerned about the illegal actions of transit police and by the Canadian Services Agency in connection with the case. Many protesters held signs saying, “Justice for Lucia” and “Transit is not a border checkpoint.”

In October, a coroner’s inquest jury made a number of recommendations in the case; however, they made no mention of the Illegality of it all. Among the recommendations, they did make-to the Canadian Services Agency only, is:

·         The creation of a dedicated Holding Centre for immigration detainees, which should be staffed by Canadian Services Agency employees.

·         Detainees must also have access to legal counsel, medical services, non-government organisations, spiritual, and family visits, along with monitored Internet access.

·         Telephones should also be readily available and should include local calls and international calling cards.

·         The jury would also like to see suicide prevention training be made mandatory for all Canadian Services Agency and subcontracted security companies, along with mental health courses-I should bloody well hope so; the taser incident, of Robert Dziekański, causes me to wonder what qualifications-if any-they presently are required to have-ditto transit police.

© Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.