Research pick: The problem of Canadian crimmigration - "Narratives from non-citizen former youth in child welfare care fighting crimmigration and deportation"

Research in the International Journal of Migration and Border Studies has looked at how government policies in Canada are affecting non-citizen migrant youth in the country’s child welfare system. The disheartening reality revealed by Mandeep Kaur Mucina of the University of Victoria, Abigail Lash-Ballew of the University of Toronto, Canada, is that the purportedly interconnected systems – child welfare, immigration, and criminal justice – are leading to ongoing instability for these people and systemic oppression.

The researchers looked at four youth who were formerly in the care system, who each live with precarious legal status. Their findings suggest that there is a transcarceral framework in place, a disturbing pipeline that funnels youth from welfare to incarceration and thence to deportation even where that is wholly inappropriate for a given case.

Canada is often celebrated for its inclusive stance towards migrants. However, this study shows a starkly different reality for non-citizen migrant youth. Without citizenship or permanent residency, these young individuals live under the constant threat of deportation, particularly when they come into contact with the criminal justice system. The team has looked at the lives of four young women as case studies of the issues and problems they face.

The research reveals deficiencies in the child welfare system that simply do not address the unique needs and rights of migrant youth. It also alludes to the psychological scars these young women bear, despite their successfully resisting deportation with the support of legal advocates and organizations. The harsh transition from protected child to being deemed a disposable adult fit only for incarceration and deportation makes criminals of innocent youth. The team, thus drawing attention to this crimmigration process, hopes to see policy changed so that the necessary care and support are at the forefront of the nation’s approach to young migrants rather than the surveillance and marginalization that often frame these people as a threat.

Mucina, M.K. and Lash-Ballew, A. (2024) ‘Narratives from non-citizen former youth in child welfare care fighting crimmigration and deportation’, Int. J. Migration and Border Studies, Vol. 8, Nos. 1/2, pp.35–55.