Exclusive: After pandemic drop, Canada's detention of immigrants rises again

FILE PHOTO: Two closed Canadian border checkpoints are seen after it was announced that the border would close to "non-essential traffic" to combat the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the U.S.-Canada border crossing at the Thousand Islands Bridge in Lansdowne, Ontario, Canada March 19, 2020. REUTERS/Alex Filipe//File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada is locking up more people in immigration detention without charge after the numbers fell during the pandemic, government data obtained by Reuters shows.

Authorities cite an overall rise in foreign travelers amid easing restrictions but lawyers say their detained clients came to Canada years ago.