CBSA's designated immigrant station for high-risk detainees now operational in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines

OTTAWA, ON, July 30, 2025 /CNW/ - The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced it began housing high-risk detainees at its temporary designated immigrant station located on the site of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)'s Regional Reception Centre in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec.

As announced in September 2024, the secure facility can house up to 25 adult male detainees who cannot be housed in CBSA's existing immigration holding centres or monitored by the CBSA using alternatives to detention because they require a high degree of supervision and control.

Following an individual risk assessment, detainees placed at the designated immigrant station may have prior convictions or outstanding charges for violent crimes, such as assault with a weapon, attempted murder, assaulting an officer with a weapon, and aggravated sexual assault and/or who have demonstrated violent, non-compliant or unpredictable behaviour that places themselves, staff, medical personnel, and other detainees at risk, thus requiring a higher degree of supervision and control.

The designated area is separate from CSC spaces and entirely under CBSA authority. CBSA staff and CBSA contracted personnel, such as security guards and medical professionals, are solely responsible for the care and management of detainees under the authority of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. To uphold national standards and ensure transparency, the CBSA grants access to independent third-party service providers, such as the Canadian Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to observe and evaluate detention conditions. The Canadian Red Cross currently provides monitoring services to the CBSA's existing immigration holding centres and will continue this practice at the new designated immigrant station.

In addition to the designated area, the CBSA operates three immigration holding centres located in Toronto (ON), Laval (QC) and Surrey (BC) where it continues to make infrastructure upgrades and operational changes as part of its longer-term approach to house high-risk detainees. Throughout these facilities, detainees are afforded care and access in line with domestic and international standards. Detainees have access to resources, including legal representation, enhanced medical services, recreational areas, and dedicated rooms for counsel or visits from legal representatives and non-governmental organizations.

Once an individual has exhausted all legal avenues, they are required to leave Canada voluntarily. If they refuse to comply with a removal order given by the CBSA or the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB), are a danger to the public, are a flight risk or their identity is unknown, they may be subject to detention. The IRB is responsible for determining whether detention should be maintained or not. Detention reviews take place every 30 days. The CBSA has a legal duty to remove inadmissible individuals as soon as possible from Canada, and actively works to secure travel documents and finalize removal plans promptly to avoid situations of prolonged detention.

Quick Facts

• Budget 2024 introduced amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to enable the use of federal correctional facilities for the purpose of high-risk immigration detention.
• Until recently, the CBSA relied on provincial correctional facilities to house high-risk immigration detainees. As provinces began withdrawing from these agreements in 2023, the CBSA responded swiftly by initiating retrofit projects to its exiting immigration holding centres to ensure continued capacity for managing high-risk individuals.
• The CBSA's current agreement with the province of Ontario to house high-risk detainees, will expire in September 2025. As of July 14, 2025, there are 24 high-risk individuals held in provincial correctional facilities.
• Under the agreement with CSC, CBSA will use a closed section, separate from inmates, within the Regional Reception Centre in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, CSC will provide essential services, including infrastructure maintenance, food, and sanitation. Aside from these services, their role will be limited to emergency interventions in situations of safety or security risks within the framework outlined in the legislative amendments. The agreement is in place until June 2029.
• Over the last years, the CBSA has significantly reduced the use of detention by increasing alternatives to detention, such as in-person reporting, remote reporting, Community Case Management and Supervision, and Electronic Monitoring.
• The CBSA has the authority to detain foreign nationals under specific circumstances and uses immigration detention as a measure of last resort, where an individual may present a danger to the public, is a flight risk, or where their identity has not been established. As of July 14, 2025, of the individuals requiring CBSA supervision, over 98% are enrolled in alternatives to detention, while less than 2% are detained in a CBSA immigration holding centre or provincial correctional facility.

Associated Links

Detentions and alternatives to detention
National Immigration Detention Framework
Quarterly detention and alternatives to detention statistics: Third quarter, fiscal year 2024 to 2025
Canada Border Services Agency and Correctional Service Canada to work together on a temporary solution to house high-risk immigration detainees - Canada.ca

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SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency

Contacts: Media Relations, Canada Border Services Agency, [email protected], 1-877-761-5945