Families of migrant workers angry arrests were caught on reality TV

VANCOUVER – Family members of some of the migrant workers arrested in a raid captured by a reality television crew are decrying a federal agency’s decision to bring cameras to film the arrests.

The Canada Border Services Agency has been facing criticism since a raid at a Vancouver-area work site, where officers made arrests as camera rolled for the reality TV program “Border Security.”

The workers were arrested Wednesday and are appearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board today for mandatory reviews of their detention.

Outside the hearing room, the former spouse of one of the workers, who can’t be identified due to a publication ban, described the presence of a TV crew as “sick.”

The woman and her daughter, who is also the daughter of the worker, sobbed in the hearing room as an adjudicator ordered him to remain in custody.

The agency has defended its decision to allow cameras to accompany officers during the raid, saying it helps the federal government show the public it is committed to border security.