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CBC
33 minutes ago
- CBC
Canadians in ICE detention centres left in legal limbo as families try to secure release
Relatives of Canadians detained by ICE in the United States say they're furious and frustrated by the treatment of their loved ones and the battles they're having to fight for even the most basic information. Global Affairs Canada said it's aware of roughly 55 Canadians in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, though it said that the numbers can fluctuate. Cynthia Olivera — born in Mississauga, Ont., but living in Los Angeles — was arrested last month when she and her husband went to an immigration office to complete an interview for her U.S. citizenship application. Paula Callejas of Montreal was in the process of finalizing a work visa when she was arrested for a misdemeanor — and then transferred to an ICE facility. Olivera and Callejas's families told CBC News the weeks since their arrests have been a nightmare, filled with phone calls to lawyers and ICE bureaucracy. "We're completely concerned for her overall safety and health," a member of Callejas's immediate family told CBC News. CBC is not naming the family member over concerns they may have their own immigration issues while travelling to the U.S. Olivera's husband, Frank Olvera, said what was meant to be a routine immigration interview ended up feeling more like a trap. "We were flabbergasted," Olvera told CBC News. "No due process." Olivera, 45, moved to the U.S. with her family when she was young, her husband said. The two met in the '90s, married (she kept her last name), had children together and have been living in L.A. since then. "About two years ago, since the children are now older, we decided to hire a lawyer and start the immigration process the correct way," Olvera said. Decades-old U.S. entry refusal But instead of completing the interview, Olivera was arrested by immigration officials over a decades-old border issue, her husband said. "They lured us into our immigration appointment … took my wife, put her in handcuffs, swept her away," he said. "They didn't even give us an opportunity at the interview. Nothing." Olvera said that in 1999, Olivera had travelled to Canada to attend her mother's funeral and was initially denied re-entry because she was pregnant and told border agents she planned to have the child in the U.S. Olivera is now being held by ICE at a detention centre in El Paso, Texas, Olvera said. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a raft of executive orders that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and advance his goal of overseeing the largest deportation operation in American history. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and the main architect of Trump's immigration policies, has pushed ICE to aim for at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump's second term. Earlier this week, Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem toured a new immigration detention facility in Florida that officials have dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." "We are going after murderers and rapists and traffickers and drug dealers and getting them off the streets and getting them out of this country," Noem said after the facility tour. Callejas was in the process of finalizing a work visa when she was charged with a misdemeanor in Florida. Although she pleaded not guilty to the charge, she was handed over to ICE and has been held for more than three months. The 45-year-old had been travelling to the U.S. in recent years with plans to expand her swimsuit business, according to her family. When reached for comment, ICE confirmed that both Callejas and Olivera are in custody but offered few details. Callejas's family said she has been transferred multiple times and last they heard she was in Arizona. But ICE told CBC News that it "seems" she is in El Paso. "We feel completely stressed out because we have no idea if one day she's going to be there or somewhere else," Callejas's relative said. Callejas's family is also now on the hook for her legal fees in both her criminal and immigration cases. They said they want her returned to Canada so she can deal with her misdemeanor charge. At least one Canadian detained by ICE was eventually released. Jasmine Mooney from B.C. was arrested and held for nearly two weeks after trying to get a work visa renewed. She returned to Canada in mid-March. Johnny Noviello, another Canadian citizen, died while in ICE custody last week. His death is under investigation. Olvera said his wife agreed to be deported so that she can at least continue her citizenship application in Canada before returning to her family. But he said there doesn't seem to be any urgency on ICE's part. "There is absolutely no reason why ICE cannot deport her. They're just taking their sweet old time and I don't know why," Olvera said. "We're willing to pay the ticket, whatever it takes. I'm willing to pay for an ICE agent to escort her to Canada if that's what's needed. I'm willing to pay for the ICE agent trip back." Like Callejas, Olivera has been transferred multiple times, her husband said. Both women's families raised concerns about the conditions of their detention. "The food is not great. The conditions of the sleeping arrangements — she tried to give us a hint that pretty much they get crammed up. It's really inhumane," Callejas's family member said, noting that all the calls are recorded. Olvera described a similar situation at the facility where his wife is being held. "It's horrible. They're treated like animals. Sometimes they get hot food, sometimes they don't," he said. 'I'm ashamed to be an American' Olvera — a third-generation American whose family immigrated from Mexico — said he typically votes Democrat but voted for Trump in November because he wanted a change. Now he appears to be questioning that decision. "I'm ashamed to be an American right now. I turn on the TV and I see them running around.… they're just chasing brown people nowadays," he said. On the day of his wife's arrest, Olvera said he and his lawyer weren't allowed to exit out the front of the building. "They escorted us out the back of the building by the trash cans, the loading dock," he said. "They didn't want to go back through the lobby where we entered from, because they're trapping a bunch of people at these immigration appointments." Unlike Olivera, Callejas may not want to return to the U.S. once her cases are resolved. "It was her dream to live in Florida just because of the business and [her] passion," the family member said.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Halifax man sentenced to life in prison for killing mother after dispute over video
A 41-year-old Halifax man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother after the two argued over the subtitles on a video she was watching. Jonathan William Pinsky pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in April, admitting he experienced a 'fit of rage' when he punched and kicked his 71-year-old mother, before stabbing her neck. Court heard Pinsky attacked her on Oct. 1 of last year after she told him to leave their shared Halifax apartment for good. Pinsky later told police he thought his mother might have been angry because she had to 'yell too loudly to get [his] attention to turn on the subtitles on her DVD,' according to an agreed statement of facts presented to the court. 'After attacking her, he put her in the closet where he believed she was ... probably dying,' the statement says. 'He retrieved a knife and stabbed her in the neck, still in a rage.' The statement also says Pinsky had, at one point, attempted to smother the woman with pillows. Court heard that police were conducting a wellness check on Oct. 10, 2024, when they found the body of Delina Pinsky in a downstairs storage closet inside a condominium near Quinpool Road. The accused confessed to the crime within 12 hours of his arrest on Oct. 11, 2024. He had no criminal record before his conviction. Son charged with second-degree murder in death of 71-year-old woman in Halifax An obituary for Delina 'Lana' Pinsky described her as a 'beacon of grace and creativity.' It said her true passion was her work as the reading support coordinator for the North End Public Library in Halifax. 'For over three decades, Lana devoted herself to connecting children with free tutors and mentors, ensuring every young learner had a chance to thrive,' the obituary says. On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Josh Arnold handed Pinsky an automatic life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 10 years – the minimum allowable by law for a second-degree murder conviction. The offender was given credit for time served while awaiting sentencing, which amounts to 265 days. Crown and defence lawyers had jointly recommended the sentence that was imposed. A report prepared for the court said Pinsky's parents were divorced when he was five years old and he hadn't had any contact with his father for years. The report says Pinsky and his father had a difficult relationship. But it goes on to suggest Pinsky and his mother enjoyed a 'great living arrangement' until she lost her job two years ago. Before the murder, Pinsky worked full-time as a licensed dispensing optician for more than nine years. A co-worker described him as a diligent employee who was always on time. But the co-worker also described Pinsky as a 'quirky' man who was resistant to change and 'very childlike.' '[Pinsky] admitted using pot on a daily basis since the age of 16, however, does not view it as problematic,' the report says. 'Mr. Pinsky advised he 'absolutely' accepted responsibility [for the killing].' In a brief presented to the court, the Crown said Pinsky lived a 'fairly solitary life with his mother in a relationship which appears to have been somewhat codependent.' The Crown's brief suggests Pinsky's decision to kill his mother was spontaneous rather than planned. 'The Offender seems to have limited insight into his anger, however, stating that he 'learned to control it decades ago' by walking away,' the brief says. 'The motivation for the murder was the fact that the offender was being removed from Ms. Pinsky's home due to his inability to turn subtitles on as fast as she wanted. This seems to have been the final straw in a strained relationship rather than the sole cause of the offender's actions.'
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Michael Madsen, star of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, dies at 67
LOS ANGELES — Michael Madsen, the actor best known for his coolly menacing, steely-eyed, often sadistic characters in the films of Quentin Tarantino including Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, has died. Article content Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, Calif., on Thursday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Watch Commander Christopher Jauregui said. He is believed to have died of natural causes and authorities do not suspect any foul play was involved. Madsen's manager Ron Smith said cardiac arrest was the apparent cause. He was 67. Article content Article content Madsen's career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s, many in low-budget and independent films. He often played low-level thugs, gangsters and shady cops in small roles. Tarantino would use that identity, but make him a main character. Article content His torture of a captured police officer in Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut Reservoir Dogs, in which Madsen's black-suited bank robber Vic 'Mr. Blonde' Vega severs the man's ear while dancing to Stealers Wheel's Stuck in the Middle with You was an early career-defining moment for both director and actor. Article content Madsen told the Associated Press in 2012 that he hated having to do the scene, especially after the actor playing the officer, Kirk Baltz, ad-libbed a line where he begged for his life because he had children. Article content 'I just said, 'Oh my God,' I couldn't do it, I didn't want to do it,' Madsen said. 'Acting is such a humiliating profession.' Article content He would become a Tarantino regular. He had a small role as the cowboy-hatted desert dweller Budd, a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, in 2003's Kill Bill: Vol. 1, then a starring role the following year in the sequel, in which he battles with Uma Thurman's protagonist The Bride and buries her alive. Article content Madsen also appeared in Tarantino's The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood. He was an alternate choice to play the hit man role that revived John Travolta's career in 1994's Pulp Fiction. The character, Vincent Vega, is the brother of Madsen's Reservoir Dogs robber in Tarantino's cinematic universe. Article content Article content Article content His sister, Oscar-nominated Sideways actor Virginia Madsen, was among those paying him tribute on Thursday. Article content 'He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother — etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark,' she said in a statement. 'I'll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I'll miss the boy he was before the legend. I miss my big brother.' Article content His Hateful Eight co-star and fellow Tarantino favourite Walton Goggins celebrated him on Instagram. Article content 'Michael Madsen… this man… this artist… this poet… this rascal…' Goggins wrote. 'Aura like no one else. Ain't enough words so I'll just say this…. I love you buddy. A H8TER forever.'
