Les pratiques de détention de l’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada

la recherche d’informations au croisement de l’exercice du pouvoir discrétionnaire et des réseaux d’acteurs

Abstract

        Based on an empirical study of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA)’s practices regarding the detention of non-citizens, this article explores two interrelated dimensions of the border’s functioning, namely discretion, which permeates the architecture of immigration law, and the network of actors who increasingly contribute to its operation. These dimensions intersect, and reveal a core aspect of CBSA officers’ work in exercising discretionary detention powers: information gathering and sharing. In fact, the detention of non-citizens leads to the collection of large amounts of information from different actors and according to various means of collaboration. Drawing from interviews conducted with CBSA officers, this article documents the numerous individuals and partner organizations involved in this information search, thus illustrating the complexity of exercising this discretion and the organizational and social factors that guide and constrain it.