Jamaican man serving time in Canada to ask provincial court about immigration detention

TORONTO -- A Jamaican man gets a rare chance today to ask a Superior Court in Toronto to look at whether his ongoing immigration detention is justified.

Alvin Brown, a 40-year-old who was a permanent resident of Canada since he was eight, has already spent five years behind bars.

The government wants to deport him following a robbery conviction but Jamaica won't issue him travel documents.

Last year, Ontario's top court cleared the way for today's legal challenge when it ruled provincial courts have the jurisdiction to hear such cases.

Federal Court normally deals with immigration matters but critics say it provides little oversight of what can amount to indefinite imprisonment.

Last month, detainees went on hunger strike to press for an end to the practice.