Indefinite immigration detention rapped as rare release hearing gets underway
TORONTO — A rare court hearing for a mentally ill Jamaican man who’s been in prison for five years without charge began Tuesday as activists called on the Liberal government to overhaul an immigration system that can lead to indefinite detention.
At the hearing, Alvin Brown, 40, called for his release so he can access proper treatment for his schizophrenia and depression. The long incarceration, including stints in solitary confinement, has taken its toll on his mental health, especially because the prospects of freedom are so uncertain, he said.
“I think that I’ll never get out of jail,” Brown testified. “It’s been five years now. There’s been no progress.”
Although he became a permanent resident, the government deemed Brown inadmissible after 17 criminal convictions, most for drugs or weapons offences. He served his time — the longest sentence was 14 months — but has been in immigration detention since Sept. 2011, because of his inability to obtain travel documents.