VANCOUVER—Two years after the City of Vancouver signed its Access Without Fear policy to keep city services accessible to migrants, the Vancouver Police Department has created its own set of guidelines in line with the policy.

The new set of guidelines, posted on the VPD’s website and set to be reviewed by a Vancouver Police board meeting on Thursday, outline how officers are directed not to ask for information on the immigration status “of a witness, complainant or victim” or involve the Canada Border Services Agency, unless they have a “legitimate, bona fide reason to do so.” These guidelines are intended to allow migrants to access police services without fearing they may be questioned about their status or deported.

The guideline lists four “bona fide” reasons that officers may ask for immigration status or communication with CBSA, including when “a victim, witness, or complainant may require admission into witness protection” and when “the information is necessary to prove essential elements of an offence,” as well as for the Crown’s court purposes or to ensure public safety.

But Sanctuary Health, a migrant advocacy group, has released a statement on how these guidelines could create “a false sense of security” for migrants accessing police services, by not explicitly guaranteeing a migrant seeking police services will not be questioned.

“I think there’s a difference between what the police are saying publicly and what’s actually written in the guidelines,” said Omar Chu, spokesperson with Sanctuary Health. “If you read the policy it says ‘should not ask,’ not ‘will not ask,’ and the bona fide reasons are so general.”

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Chu said that because the VPD guidelines do not make guaranteed limitations on how officers provide information to CBSA, he believes this leaves migrants vulnerable.

“It is like they are offering a pinky swear to migrants ... People could end up deported and there is nothing in the guidelines to stop that.”

In May, the group released an audit they conducted on city services, and found that the access without fear policy has largely not been implemented by parks and recreation, libraries, and shelter services. They also called on the city to work with the VPD to develop their own guidelines.

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