A person detained by Canadian border officials died in a Surrey, B.C., immigration holding facility on Christmas Day.
According to a statement released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Wednesday, first responders were called to the scene after a detained individual was found unresponsive.
“On-site staff and medical personnel attended to the detainee, conducting resuscitation maneuvers until first responders arrived,” said the CBSA in its statement.
“All efforts to revive the detainee were unsuccessful, and the detainee was sadly pronounced deceased by first responders.”
Surrey RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are currently investigating the circumstances of the death, according to the statement.
The CBSA statement also said the agency is conducting its own review into the circumstances that led to the person’s death.
The agency said next of kin have been notified and that it won’t be releasing the identity of the person because of “privacy consideration.”
“The CBSA will not release additional information while the investigation is ongoing,” its statement read.
Nearly 73,000 people have been detained in provincial and federal holding facilities over the last decade, according to CBSA data. Of those, over 14,000 — just under 20 per cent — have been detained in B.C.
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, detentions in B.C. fell to a fifth of the previous year’s total of 1,470.
But in 2021-2022, detentions more than doubled to 680 people. That means, relative to its population, B.C. detained more people than any other province over the past year.
Across Canada, researchers and advocates say at least 17 other people have died in detention since 2000.
