Romero House is proud to announce that on November 10, 2022 the report “DEPORTING REFUGEES: Hidden Injustice in Canada” was published. The authors Kathryn Tomko Dennler and Brianna Garneau are researchers at York University. We are grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for funding this project that included us as a community partner.
The report is about the removals or deportation process in Canada for people with a refused refugee claim. It identifies problems in the removals process that can lead to unjust deportations, confusion and unfairness in the process, and bias in decision-making. It concludes with a number of recommendations for the federal government and for people who work with refugee claimants.
In addition to the report, the authors wrote a complementary guide for people with a refused refugee claim going through the removals process. The guide provides details of all the stages of the removal process to ensure the reader understands and knows their legal rights and options and enables them to make informed decisions about their lives.
Many refugee claims are refused for people who do need Canada’s protection. For example, people who meet the “generalized risk” exception in the refugee test, meaning their lives may be in danger but not significantly more than anyone else in their home community. Another example is climate refugees whose situations are not yet recognized by Canada as meeting the definition of a refugee.
Another example is the known disparity in refugee claim recognition rates of decision-makers. Research shows that the likelihood of being accepted depends significantly on the board member deciding a family’s case. Their lives might be in danger but, if their case is heard by a member who rarely or never recognizes a refugee claim, they could still be refused.
We hope this research supports people going through the deportation process and to pressure governments to improve it. Sincere thanks to Kathryn Tomko Dennler and Brianna Garneau for their tireless work on this project.
You can find the full report and the Removal Process guide here.