Immigration and Citizenship Law

On February 4, 2017, law students across Canada will unite in response to Trump's executive order banning nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries. This is the first time that Canadian law students have coordinated an effort of this magnitude.

"We currently have 36 U of T law students and alumni participating, as well as support from the library and Professors Stacey and Macklin. All 22 law schools across the country are participating, with a total of over 600 students," said Simon Gooding-Townsend, JD/Master of Public Policy Candidate 2017.

The International Human Rights Program (IHRP) is a co-signatory of "A Statement Against the Immigration Detention of Children" (released October 4, 2016).

In a commentary in the Ottawa Citizen, International Human Rights Program director Samer Muscati discusses the program's report showing that Canada has held hundreds of children in immigration detention, and calls for finding alternatives ("Stop detaining child migrants. Canada has alternatives," September 22, 2016).

Read the full commentary on the Ottawa Citizen website, or below.

In recent years, hundreds of children have been housed in immigration detention with detrimental consequences for their mental health

In a commentary in the Globe and Mail, Prof. Kent Roach and University of Ottawa Prof. Craig Forcese enumerate multiple reasons why stripping citizenship from dual citizens is not a useful way to address the dangers of terrorism ("Why stripping citizenship is a weak tool to fight terrorism," March 3, 2016).

Read the full commentary on the Globe and Mail website, or below.

In a commentary in the Globe and Mail, International Human Rights Program (IHRP) director Samer Muscati and Carmen Cheung, executive director of the Global Justice Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs (and a former acting director of the IHRP) describe the case of a 16-year old Syrian refugee placed in solitary confinement when he arrived in Canada, and call for a complete ban on putting minors in solitary confinement ("An inexcusable travesty: Canada sent a Syrian minor to solitary confinement," February 17, 2016).

In a commentary in the Globe and Mail, Prof. Kent Roach and Craig Forcese (University of Ottawa) analyze the new law that enables Canada to revoke the citizenship of dual citizens convicted of terrorism offences ("Banishment is a poor tool in fight against terrorism," September 29, 2015).

Read the commentary on the Globe and Mail website, or below.

In a commentary in the New York Times, Prof. Audrey Macklin asks which of Canada's two conflicting historical narratives about the treatment of refugees the nation will follow ("Canadians Have a Decision to Make That Will Affect Syrian Refugees," September 15, 2015).

Read the complete commentary on the New York Times website, or below.

Prof. Audrey Macklin, Chair in Human Rights Law, was interviewed at length by CBC Radio's The Current about the current state of Canada's refugee policies ("Canadians desperate to sponsor refugees as governments dither," September 3, 2015).

Listen to the segment on the CBC website (Macklin interview begins at 11:50 mark).