
Canadian citizen held for months after border agents dismiss papers as fake - camtarn
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/14/canadian-citizen-sues-government-detention
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forapurpose
Democratic governments seem to using border security as a loophole in civil
rights. It happens in the U.S. and U.K. - and also Canada? - where immigration
cases are not heard in judicial courts, where rights are protected and the
burden of proof is on the government (i.e., innocent until proven guilty) but
in 'administrative courts', which are not courts at all but an agency of the
same immigration department (or at least the same executive branch) that is
prosecuting the defendant, and where the burden of proof is often on the
defendant to 'prove' they are not guilty of immigration crimes by proving
their citizenship.

The abuse goes further. Both the U.K. (where it's explicit) and U.S. actively
try to terrorize immigrants and create "hostile" environments for them. Terror
cannot be a tool used by law enforcement for any reason (for one thing, it is
"cruel", as in "cruel and unusual"), and it's also punishment without
conviction.

Finally, these agencies' power is expanding. The DHS surveillance of all
citizens was in HN recently, and I read another article where they claimed
jurisdiction over all 'movement of goods' in the U.S. Note also that the
expansion of DHS power coincides with the denigration the FBI, an agency
rooted in the judicial process and rule of law (for example, they are part of
and overseen by the Department of Justice).

The use of these agencies fits both the nationalism (hatred of immigrants) and
authoritarianism of the right-wing parties.

~~~
Fjolsvith
Actually, us right-wing party people hate the _illegal_ type of immigrants.
The legal ones are cool.

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threatofrain
Putting aside the US, I'm surprised that the Canadian government didn't notice
or discuss one of their citizens disappearing.

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forapurpose
What did the U.S. have to do with it?

~~~
rarec
Pretty much nothing besides being a good target for anti-immigration news.

