Sign in Subscribe

Issue 1: Immigration enforcement

De Facto's debut investigation takes a look at the overlapping impacts of law enforcement and immigration. Amid a political environment in which immigration is increasingly blamed for a variety of issues, from affordability to healthcare and jobs, De Facto's first issue looks at how law enforcement is impacting the lives of immigrants — starting with a sharp rise in calls to border enforcement by the Vancouver Police Department starting in 2023.

‘A two-tier system’: Rights groups say the immigration system is built on exploitation. A new law could make it even worse

‘A two-tier system’: Rights groups say the immigration system is built on exploitation. A new law could make it even worse

With Bill C-12 now in force, volunteers build a mobile office for migrant workers amid escalating concerns over deportations and asylum restrictions

A lawyer wears a blue suit behind some leaves with a brick wall in the background

‘A troubling trend’: Lawyer Zool Suleman on rising cop-immigration collaboration

Everyday contact with police, such as transit fare-checks, is getting migrants reported to the feds. Why this expert finds De Facto’s newly revealed data ‘disturbing’

A Metro Vancouver Transit Police officer stands outside looking away as a woman walks past

Transit Police are calling border enforcement more — but you wouldn't know that from their own records

In 2024, Metro Vancouver transit cops’ immigration calls reached their highest in a decade. But not even a tenth of them went into daily duty reports as required

An composite illustration depicts a Vancouver police officer, a Canada Border Services Agency sign, and yellow tape that says "Police line do not cross"

Vancouver cops are calling border enforcement more than ever. Community members fear that puts them in danger

Migrant sex workers say they're ‘more afraid of police than perpetrators of a crime,’ as new data reveals VPD ‘immigration status checks’ spiked 80% to nearly 1,000 people in two years

How a Mexican woman’s 2013 death in custody of Canada’s ‘de facto ICE agents’ sparked a movement

How a Mexican woman’s 2013 death in custody of Canada’s ‘de facto ICE agents’ sparked a movement

Detained at a transit fare check, Lucía Vega Jiménez died awaiting deportation back to a violent ex-boyfriend. An inquest revealed shocking details