A relative of Paula Callejas (pictured on cell phone), a Canadian woman who was detained by ICE for nearly five months, told The Globe they did not receive adequate consular support while she was in custody.Sammy Kogan/Supplied
Canadians seeking consular support from the federal government say they are struggling to obtain information on family members in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and facing imminent deportation, records obtained by The Globe and Mail show.
E-mails and messages to a Canadian consular assistance hotline obtained under freedom of information laws show details of some cases in which Canadians were unable to locate family members in detention because of communication issues with U.S. officials.
“I’m trying to locate a family member that was detained by US customs and been moved from prison to prison,” reads one message. “We can’t find him and we are receiving no help from ICE/homeland security.”
The messages provide a window into the chaos unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign south of the border, which has resulted in at least 149 Canadian citizens being detained this year – including two toddlers.
As of late August, more than 61,000 people were in ICE detention, surpassing the levels set in Mr. Trump’s first term and raising significant concerns over detention conditions and due process. Sixteen people have died in ICE custody this year, including Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian whose June death is under FBI investigation.
Canadian Johnny Noviello is one of the 16 people who have died in ICE custody this year. The 49-year-old's death is under FBI investigation.Courtesy of family
The Global Affairs emergency assistance website operates a chatbot to respond to queries before directing people to live agents. The department also fields calls, texts, e-mails and messages via WhatsApp and Signal from Canadians in need of support abroad.
One hotline message from a concerned family member said their brother is a Canadian citizen and former dissident in his country of origin who was detained by ICE in the United States. The message said ICE officials “repeatedly pressured” him to sign deportation papers that would have resulted in him being sent to a country “where he faces certain persecution and likely execution for his political beliefs.”
“Terrified for his life, he has begged to be sent anywhere else,” the message reads. “But his requests have gone unanswered. His health has deteriorated so severely that I fear he may not survive much longer.”
A Canadian man died in ICE custody. Now, his family is searching for answers
In several online conversations reviewed by The Globe, a Global Affairs Canada live agent told the person seeking assistance to call a phone number for the department’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre, a 24/7 contact point for Canadians in need of urgent consular assistance.
The records provide no indication of whether the person was able to connect with a consular official and obtain the information they needed. Because names and other identifying information, including passport numbers, have been redacted, The Globe cannot independently verify the submitters’ claims.
According to the Canadian government’s consular affairs service standards, Canadian consular officials are typically notified of an arrest or detention of a Canadian abroad. Consular officials will “take steps to initiate contact” with the individual within one working day of learning of the detention, and will increase the frequency of their contact if the Canadian detainee is deemed to be particularly vulnerable.
A relative of Paula Callejas, a Canadian woman who was detained by ICE for nearly five months, told The Globe they did not receive adequate consular support while she was in custody. Ms. Callejas, who was shuffled between more than a half-dozen detention facilities, was ultimately deported to Canada in August.
Ms. Callejas had been living in Florida on a work visa when she was arrested after an altercation with her then-boyfriend.Paula Callejas/The Canadian Press
The relative described the family’s interaction with consular affairs as “very disappointing,” amounting to little more than copied-and-pasted advice from the Global Affairs Canada website. The Globe is not naming the relative, who fears reprisal amid the pending criminal and immigration proceedings involving Ms. Callejas.
Ms. Callejas, a 45-year-old swimwear designer, had been living in Florida on a work visa when she was arrested after an altercation with her then-boyfriend. County court records from the March 29 incident indicate that police took statements from Ms. Callejas and her then-boyfriend, and observed that the man had physical injuries while Ms. Callejas did not. Based on this and the statements, Ms. Callejas was placed under arrest for battery. Ms. Callejas disputes the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.
A relative of Ms. Callejas said her immigration status was precarious at the time because she was seeking a visa extension that had not yet been granted.
The family posted a $2,000 bond on April 18, expecting Ms. Callejas to be released from police custody, but she was immediately rearrested under a controversial program that bestows local law-enforcement officers with the power to carry out some immigration enforcement duties, ICE data obtained by The Globe show.
The relative said the family tried repeatedly calling two Canadian consulates and e-mailing the office of Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand.
The relative said they finally received an e-mail from a consular official, but it did nothing to assuage their concerns about Ms. Callejas’s access to due process.
On one occasion, a consular official did engage with Ms. Callejas’s file, attempting to facilitate the return of crayons that had been confiscated from her Arizona cell, the relative said.
Global Affairs Canada did not respond directly to questions about Ms. Callejas’s consular file, citing privacy concerns.
Spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said consular officials try to contact and support detainees, including by raising concerns about “justified and serious complaints of ill-treatment or discrimination,” as well as helping detainees contact loved ones and lawyers.
“The Government of Canada cannot intervene on behalf of Canadians who do not meet entry or exit requirements for the United States,” she said.
In at least one case in the records obtained by The Globe, communications issues with U.S. authorities frustrated Canadian officials’ efforts to support an ICE detainee – a man who had been granted refugee status in Canada.
According to internal Global Affairs e-mails, the man sought consular support after being detained at the U.S.-Canada border by ICE. The man said ICE threatened him with deportation to his country of origin, despite documentation proving his legal status in Canada.
“Subject has been held in the detention centre for about a month and informs that he was ‘forced’ to sign deportation papers,” reads one e-mail from an operations officer with Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre.
“His lawyer, as well as family, have not been able to communicate with ICE officials. Ops attempted to contact the ICE facility where Subject is located on two occasions, to no avail.”