Ordinary Injustices: Persecution, Punishment, and the Criminalization of Asylum in Canada

[Introduction]: "In 2009 and 2010, approximately six hundred Sri Lankan Tamils arrived off the western coast of Canada aboard the MVs Ocean Lady and Sun Sea. Without permission to enter Canadian territory, the ships were interdicted and boarded by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who detained the passengers and later transferred them into the custody of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). Although the passengers were seeking asylum, the government characterized the arrivals as a serious security issue, stating that at least one-third of the passengers aboard the Sun Sea were “suspected human smugglers and terrorists” working to reconstitute the LTTE’s “base of operations overseas in order to renew resistance to the Government of Sri Lanka.” These statements reflect the Canadian government’s long-standing attempt to associate irregular migration with insecurity and criminality.”