“Taking Liberties and Policing Borders: Arbitrary Detentions and Deportation of Refugees and Migrants”
Roundtable and Activist Art Show
November 17, 2014, 5-9pm
Liu Institute for Global Issues
UBC
6476 North West Marine Drive
5:00pm-6:30 pm: Roundtable Discussion with Activists and Lawyers
6:30-9:00 pm: Busting Borders Gallery Show and Impromptu Creation of a Public Mural
Everyone Welcome!
Food and Drinks will be provided
Please join us for a night of discussion and activist art against the rise of detention and deportation of refugees and migrants in Canada.
The first part of the night will be a roundtable and public discussion.
Guest speakers are Chris Morrissey from Rainbow Refugee, Harsha Walia from No One Is Illegal, Gina Csanyi-Robah from the Canadian Romani Alliance, Immigration Lawyers Peter Edlemen and Lesley Stalker.
The second part of the night will be an impromptu art creation led by Artist and Activist Melanie Schambach.
Everyone is welcomed to participate in the public discussion and the art creation. The finished art product will be displayed at the Liu Gallery.
Background:
On December 15, 2012, the system for determining refugee claims made in Canada underwent a radical sweep of changes in order to more “efficiently” decide and deal with refugee claimants. The detention and the deportation of refugee claimants by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada is one such area that has seen a dramatic change. Under the new system, the government is given more arbitrary authority to detain refugee claimants, including children, for prolonged periods of time in county jails and state prisons. In addition to the rise of detention of refugee claimants, there is an increased effort by the IRB to capture, detain, and deport undocumented migrants and failed refugee claimants. This has caused many vulnerable migrants and refugees to live underground out of fear of being jailed and forced to return to their country of origin. Many of these migrants and refugees have families here in Canada and have lived here for years. Being forced to return to their country of origin can mean a matter of life or death. The recent death of Lucia Vega Jimenez at the YVR immigration holding centre brings to light the severe human rights abuses that IRB forced deportation has on individuals.
For More Information: Please Email Katherine at katherinefobear@gmail.com