Quebec will continue the controversial practice of detaining immigrants six months after the originally scheduled date at the request of the federal government, according to information obtained by CBC.

Under its current agreement with the federal government, Quebec agrees to detain individuals held for administrative reasons related to their immigration file in its provincial prisons.

Last year, the province of Quebec informed the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that it would end this controversial practice as of December 31, 2023.

Detaining immigrants in correctional facilities is considered against international law, according to many human rights groups and experts.

Since then, Quebec has granted a grace period to the Canada Border Services Agency, at the agency's request, according to Quebec's Ministry of Public Security. The new deadline was set for June 30, 2024.

For his part, immigration lawyer Pierre-Olivier Marcoux said he is disappointed about the continued detention of immigrants in Quebec and concerned about the safety of his clients at the Legal Aid office in Montreal.

Provinces like Quebec, which decided to end this agreement, did so for a reason. Marcoux said the reason was concerns about the violation of fundamental human rights in provincial prisons.

He also added that in prison, it is difficult for immigrants to obtain mental health care or communicate with a lawyer and loved ones.

In August 2023, Nova Scotia became the first Canadian province to stop detaining immigrants on behalf of the federal government.

In the fall of this year, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia followed suit. Other provinces committed to doing the same in 2024.

The Canada Border Services Agency can detain foreign nationals if it believes their identity has not been clearly established, or that they pose a public danger or a flight risk. The vast majority are detained for the latter reason, meaning the Border Agency believes they will not appear at immigration proceedings such as deportation.

Immigrants can be detained in one of three federal immigration detention centers or in provincial prisons.

Between 2015 and 2020, the Canada Border Services Agency detained about 8,000 immigrants on average each year, with about one in four of them sent to provincial correctional facilities.

During the pandemic and border closures, the number of detained immigrants decreased. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Canada Border Services Agency arrested 5,248 people, including 931 in provincial prisons.

Also, as of December 18, seven people were imprisoned in a provincial facility in Quebec under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Canada Border Services Agency told Radio Canada earlier this year that the most serious cases, such as individuals inadmissible for serious criminal reasons, make up the majority of immigrants remaining in correctional facilities.

According to Marcoux, immigrants suffering from serious mental health issues also find themselves in prison where their condition further deteriorates.

He said that often, when people are imprisoned, they tell us about the difficulties they face and their suffering. This is really not good for the mental health, or even the physical health, of our clients. Marcoux added that many of them come from war-torn countries where they have already suffered trauma.

After the decision by several provinces to end their contracts with the federal government, the Canada Border Services Agency said it is working on updating immigrant detention centers in Laval, Quebec, Toronto, and Surrey, British Columbia, to accommodate detainees at very high risk.

A separate area will be created in Laval, according to a letter the Border Agency wrote in an email to Radio Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency also said it is working on adapting staff and training guards.