This is the easy-to-read version of the report “I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There”: Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health [AMR 20/4195/2021]. Despite its reputation as a refugee-welcoming and multicultural country, Canada incarcerates thousands of people on immigration-related grounds every year, including people who are fleeing persecution, those seeking employment and a better life, and people who have lived in Canada since childhood. Immigration detainees are held for non-criminal purposes but endure some of the most restrictive conditions of confinement in the country, including maximum security jails and solitary confinement, with no set release date.
