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Instrument
Provision
Text
P12
Any form of administrative detention or custody in the context of migration must be applied as an exceptional measure of last resort, for the shortest period and only if justified by a legitimate purpose, such as documenting entry and recording their claims or initial verification of identity if in doubt.
P25
A maximum detention period in the course of migration proceedings must be set by legislation, and such detention shall be permissible only for the shortest period of time. Excessive detention in the course of migration proceedings is arbitrary. Upon the expiry of the detention period set by law, the detained person must automatically be released.
II.85(c)
When reviewing the arbitrariness and lawfulness of the detention, the court is empowered:

(c) To consider and make a pronouncement on whether alternatives to detention have been considered, including non custodial alternatives to detention in accordance with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules) and the United Nations Rules on the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules).
II.107(e)
The following measures shall be taken to ensure procedural accommodation and the provision of accessibility and reasonable accommodation for the exercise of the substantive rights of access to justice and equal recognition before the law:

(e) Injunctive relief should consist in an order requiring the facility to release the person immediately and/or to cease immediately any forced treatment and anysystemic measures, such as those requiring mental health facilities to unlock their doors and to inform persons of their right to leave, and establishing a public authority to provide for access to housing, means of subsistence and other forms of economic and social support in order to facilitate de institutionalization and the right to live independently and be included in the community. Such assistance programmes should not be centred on the provision of mental health services or treatment, but free or affordable community based services, including alternatives that are free from medical diagnosis and interventions. Access to medications and assistance in withdrawing from medications should be made available for those who so decide.
II.108
Any restrictions on the liberty of non-nationals, including migrants regardless of their migration status, asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons, is to be a measure of last resort, necessary and proportionate, and imposed only where less restrictive alternatives have been considered and been found to be inadequate to meet legitimate purposes.
II.111
Decisions regarding the detention of non-nationals are to take into account also the effect of the detention on the physical and mental health of the said persons. When physical and mental security cannot be guaranteed in detention, authorities should provide alternatives to detention.
II.114
Unaccompanied children who are non-nationals shall be informed about their legal status to ensure that they fully understand their situation. Public defence services and/or guardians made available to children are to be adequately trained to work with children, particularly taking into account the extreme vulnerability and need for care, and are to speak a language they understand. Children who are non-nationals should not be placed in detention centres or shelters for migrants, but in non-custodial community-based alternatives to detention, where they may receive all services necessary for their protection, such as adequate nutrition, access to quality education and leisure, care, physical and psychological medical care and security. Special attention should be given to family reunification.
O13
Use migration detention only as a measure of last resort and work towards alternatives.
O13.29(a)
We commit to ensure that any detention in the context of international migration follows due process, is non-arbitrary, based on law, necessity, proportionality, and individual assessments, is carried out by authorized officials, and for the shortest possible period of time, irrespective of whether detention occurs at the moment of entry, in transit, or proceedings of return, and regardless of the type of place where the detention occurs. We further commit to prioritize non-custodial alternatives to detention that are in line with international law, and to take a human rights-based approach to any detention of migrants, using detention as a measure of last resort only.

To realize this commitment, we will draw from the following actions:

(a) Use existing relevant human rights mechanisms to improve independent monitoring of migrant detention, ensuring that it is a measure of last resort, that human rights violations do not occur, and that States promote, implement and expand alternatives to detention, favouring non-custodial measures and community-based care arrangements, especially in the case of families and children.
O13.29(c)
We commit to ensure that any detention in the context of international migration follows due process, is non-arbitrary, based on law, necessity, proportionality, and individual assessments, is carried out by authorized officials, and for the shortest possible period of time, irrespective of whether detention occurs at the moment of entry, in transit, or proceedings of return, and regardless of the type of place where the detention occurs. We further commit to prioritize non-custodial alternatives to detention that are in line with international law, and to take a human rights-based approach to any detention of migrants, using detention as a measure of last resort only.

To realize this commitment, we will draw from the following actions:

(c) Review and revise relevant legislation, policies and practices related to immigration detention to ensure that migrants are not detained arbitrarily, that decisions to detain are based on law, are proportionate, have a legitimate purpose, and are taken on an individual basis, in full compliance with due process and procedural safeguards, and that immigration detention is not promoted as a deterrent or used as a form of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of migrants, in accordance with international human rights law.
O13.29(f)
We commit to ensure that any detention in the context of international migration follows due process, is non-arbitrary, based on law, necessity, proportionality, and individual assessments, is carried out by authorized officials, and for the shortest possible period of time, irrespective of whether detention occurs at the moment of entry, in transit, or proceedings of return, and regardless of the type of place where the detention occurs. We further commit to prioritize non-custodial alternatives to detention that are in line with international law, and to take a human rights-based approach to any detention of migrants, using detention as a measure of last resort only.

To realize this commitment, we will draw from the following actions:

(f) Reduce the negative and potentially lasting effects of detention on migrants by guaranteeing due process and proportionality, that it is for the shortest period of time, that it safeguards physical and mental integrity, and that, at a minimum, access to food, basic health care, legal orientation and assistance, information and communication as well as adequate accommodation is granted, in accordance with international human rights law.
O13.29(h)
We commit to ensure that any detention in the context of international migration follows due process, is non-arbitrary, based on law, necessity, proportionality, and individual assessments, is carried out by authorized officials, and for the shortest possible period of time, irrespective of whether detention occurs at the moment of entry, in transit, or proceedings of return, and regardless of the type of place where the detention occurs. We further commit to prioritize non-custodial alternatives to detention that are in line with international law, and to take a human rights-based approach to any detention of migrants, using detention as a measure of last resort only.

To realize this commitment, we will draw from the following actions:

(h) Protect and respect the rights and best interests of the child at all times, regardless of migration status, by ensuring availability and accessibility of a viable range of alternatives to detention in non-custodial contexts, favouring community-based care arrangements, that ensure access to education and health care, and respect the right to family life and family unity, and by working to end the practice of child detention in the context of international migration.
33
Reaffirming that all individuals who have crossed or are seeking to cross international borders are entitled to due process in the assessment of their legal status, entry and stay, we will consider reviewing policies that criminalize cross border movements. We will also pursue alternatives to detention while these assessments are under way. Furthermore, recognizing that detention for the purposes of determining migration status is seldom, if ever, in the best interest of the child, we will use it only as a measure of last resort, in the least restrictive setting, for the shortest possible period of time, under conditions that respect their human rights and in a manner that takes into account, as a primary consideration, the best interest of the child, and we will work towards the ending of this practice.