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Individual Cases
St. Lucian Student Faces Deportation CaribWorldNews, TORONTO, Canada A 20-year-old St. Lucian student, who spent has most of her life in Saintsierra Leonty, also known as Sarah by her friends and acquaintances, Although she describes herself as a Canadian, she only recently found out `I was on my dad’s application up until last year and he took me off and I The York student said her father has not given her a reason for taking her CaribWorldNews understands that Leonty’s mother was seeking financial Leonty was expected to leave Canada on March 28 but through her attorney, She, however, added that even though the federal court has agreed to `She can stay as long as the court takes to review her case, but for her
GTA CAMPUSES CELEBRATE STAY ON DEPORTATION OF YORK SCHOLAR! Students and Faculty Continue to Organise to Demand Status for All! TORONTO- Shaken by the outrage of protestors who poured into York University's Vary Hall on Wednesday, Immigration Canada was forced to grant Sarah (Saint-Sierra) Leonty a 2 year stay in Canada while her Humanitarian and Compassionate Application is processed. Sarah's mother and two younger siblings slated for deportation yesterday, had their deportation cancelled and were also granted a 2 year stay. The crowd consisted of students and faculty from York, U of T and Ryerson all demanding that Sarah be allowed to stay. Student and labour unions, along with faculty and community organisations took to the mic calling on York University to declare itself a sanctuary school to be free of Immigration Enforcement. Amidst chants, echoing "Education, Not Deportation! Access Not Fear" and "Status for Sarah! Status for All!" University President Shoukri was pressured to issue a statement in support of this case. Sarah bravely stated, "This is not just about my case. York University should take the lead in implementing a Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy so that all students can access education, regardless of their immigration status." "It's a shame that undocumented students like Sarah, people who have lived, worked and participated in communities here can be treated as second class residents. Economically they are one of the most marginalized groups, yet post-secondary institutions demand they pay impossibly high international student fees," said Jen Hassum, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students- Ontario. "As faculty, I'm inspired to see students organizing to reclaim the university as their space. York should be a safe place of learning and a sanctuary zone that is free of Immigration Enforcement" said David McNally, Chair of York's Political Science Department.
Rally and Demonstration at the Toronto Immigration Offices Toronto: Mississauga or Brampton: ------------------------ As immigration enforcement increases its targetting of Laibar Singh and Abdel-Kader Belaouni, people across Canada are demonstrating in the thousands to demand justice for non-status people living in sanctuary, and to demand status for all! After being denied refugee status by Canada's extremely flawed refugee determination system, Laibar Singh, a paralysed Punjabi refugee claimant, and Abdel-Kader Belaouni, a blind Algerian refugee claimant, were both slapped with deportation orders. Both men made the courageous and difficult decision to not comply with their deportations, instead seeking sanctuary from supportive communities, Laibar in the Abbotsford Sahib Kalgidhar Darbar Gurudwara, and Kader in Montreal's St. Gabriel's church. Despite massive public support and pressure on the government to grant both men Permanent Residency, both have been repeatedly denied. Instead, Immigration Canada has gone as far as arresting Laibar while he was receiving treatment in a hospital, and forcing Kader to stay in sanctuary for over 2 years! On Saturday, January 26th join us as we will be going to the offices of Immigration Canada to demand an end to the targetting of these men, to demand respect for sanctuary, and to call on Immigration Canada to grant Laibar and Kader permanent residency on Humanitarian & Compassionate grounds.
ALEXANDER KOPYLOV... CALL the Enforcement Officer immediately at 905.405.3500! Alexander is an independent activist journalist who wrote against the violence of the Russian state. Subsequently his newspaper was shut down, his car blown up, and he was told not to leave Rostov-on-Don. He fled Russia knowing his life was in danger. Alexander sought political refuge in Canada. It was denied. He still continued living in Canada, fearing for his life if he returned to Russia. In June 2006 he was arrested and held in a Detention Centre. Alexander has continuously criticized the Putin Government and its heavy handedness in his blogs. He has publicly spoken out against injustices, for all people, and especially in Russia. His life is even more at risk in Russia because of his outspoken advocacy. More than 60 dissident journalists have been murdered by the Putin government since 2000. Alexander is in maximum security prison, along with other non-status peoples. He is being psychologically tortured by imprisonment, to extort his consent to return to Russia. For him even maximum security prison is preferable to going back to Russia. Now he is being forced to return to Russia where he is very likely to get killed. All this despite the fact that Canada has signed the UN Convention Against Torture. Alexander's life is at stake! Save him now! Hold Canada accountable!
Supporters of Laibar Singh including members of Toronto's Sikh Community will be gathering at Citizenship and Immigration Canada Headquarters in Toronto to demand that the Minister of Immigration Diane Finley grant Mr.Singh status and to call on the Canadian Border Services Agency to not break the sanctuary! TOMORROW Solidarity in Toronto for Laibar Singh In December 2007 thousands of people came to the Vancouver International Airport and successfully rallied around Mr. Laibar Singh helping to prevent his the deportation of the paralyzed refugee claimant (http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/870). On January 9th 2008 at 4am in the morning Canadian Border Services Agency planned to break the sanctuary of Mr.Singh under the guise of night. However, despite only a few hours notice, hundreds of supporters of Mr. Singh arrived at his place of sanctuary to witness CBSA's immoral act. This show of support forced CBSA to once again back off from breaking sanctuary and deporting Laibar Singh (http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/292375). Enough is enough! Come For more info: http://noii-van.resist.ca
*** Fri Dec 7 @ 4:00-4:30 pm: Action at Vancouver Citizenship and Immigration Canada Offices (300 West Georgia). *** Sat Dec 8 @ 2 pm: Rally at Surrey Immigration Offices. 13450 102nd Avenue Surrey (between 134th and 135th Street). 1 block from Surrey Central Skytrain Station *** Mon Dec 10: details tbc but pending any response from the government to reverse this unjust deportation, there will be a convergence at the Vancouver International Airport. Transport arranged, so please mark the date if you are able to! On one of the coldest days thus far in the Lower Mainland, approximately 200-300 people- including elders and children- braved the weather to rally in support of Mr. Laibar Singh in front of the Immigration offices in Surrey on Sunday December 2. All those in attendance expressed their outrage and anger at the Conservative government for pushing forward with this inhumane decision to deport a paralyzed man despite the outpouring of community support. Laibar Singh came to Canada in 2003 and his refugee claim of persecution at the hands of state police has been rejected based mostly on minor inconsistencies. While in Canada, Mr. Singh worked as a labourer, doing one of the many low-wage jobs that rely on immigrant and refugee labour. Unfortunately, Mr. Singh's life suddenly and irreversibly changed when he suffered a cerebral aneurysm in June of 2006 and is now paralyzed. With a pending deportation for July 2007, Laibar Singh took sanctuary in the Abbotsford Sahib Kalgidhar Darbar Gurudwara. While in sanctuary, Mr. Singh's health deteriorated and he had to be hospitalized. On Monday August 13, while in the hospital, Abbottsford police and Canadian Border Services Agency officers detained Mr. Laibar Singh. Due to immense community and political pressure, Mr. Singh was granted a 60-day stay first on August 20th and then another stay on October 20th 2007.
In 1996, a 41-year-old Colombian trade unionist applied at the Canadian embassy in Mexico City to immigrate to Canada. Amparo Torres was well-known in the region. She was a founding member of the Union Patriotica, a coalition of leftist political parties created a few years earlier at the behest of Colombia's then president in order to bring an end to decades of guerrilla warfare. She had also been kidnapped by one of the country's right-wing death squads. Unlike most of the "disappeared" who suffered that fate, she survived and fled to Mexico. Torres was up front with the Canadian embassy. She didn't hide her politics (she's a Communist) or her family affiliations. Her brother Jorge is a leader of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), Colombia's largest, oldest and deadliest guerrilla faction. Her ex-spouse, Luis Urbano, had by 1996 joined FARC and become its international spokesman. But she herself, she told Canadian officials, did not belong to FARC. As a high-profile political refugee, she was almost certainly vetted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (although CSIS won't confirm that). The upshot was that Canada welcomed her as a permanent resident. She settled in Toronto and got a job in a travel agency. Two sons, now both Canadian citizens, attended university. She married. She continued to be active politically and give speeches. After one speech, CSIS agents interviewed her about her views. They seemed satisfied. Then came 9/11 and the war on terror. To a new Colombian government determined to crush its guerrilla opponents, the U.S.-led crusade was a godsend. Normally sensible countries were now in a tizzy over terrorism. In 2003, Canada officially listed FARC as a terrorist body. A few months later, Torres found CSIS was investigating her again.
The saga surrounding Laibar Singh continues after he was granted a 60-day reprieve over the weekend, dodging deportation for a second time. The 48-year-old, who came to Canada four years ago on a fake passport, was supposed to be flown to India yesterday. Instead, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day verbally granted him another 60 days in the country so federal officials could take another look at his case. Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Nina Grewal is understood to have been influential in brokering the deal with Day. However, neither Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) or the minister’s office could comment on the reasons behind the stay. The minister was unavailable for comment. On hearing the news late Sunday afternoon, Singh was “overjoyed, but very, very depressed he’s still in jail,” said his lawyer Zool Suleman, referring to where he is being detained at North Fraser Pre-trial Centre.
AUGUST 17, TORONTO-A mass delegation delivered letters of support to the Ontario Regional Offices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada urging Minister Dianne Finley to stop the deportation of Mr. Laibar Singh, a paralyzed Punjabi refugee claimant living in Vancouver. Mr. Singh was forced to seek sanctuary in Abbortsford Sahib Kalgidhar Darbar Gurudwara (a Sikh Temple in Vancouver) after an arbitrary decision at the Immigration and Refugee Board denied his claim for asylum. During his time in sanctuary, Mr. Singh developed an infection that required him to be hospitalized. Amidst medical treatment, Mr. Singh was inhumanely arrested and detained by the Canada Border Services Agency. The congregation at the Gurudwara maintains a full commitment to support Mr. Singh, with accommodation and coverage of his medical expenses. Despite this unprecedented show of community support, Mr. Singh is slated for deportation on Monday, August 20. Under the banner of Let Laibar Singh Stay!, the Toronto delegation included participants from the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, Toronto Youth Cabinet, Ontario Public Interest Research Group-Toronto, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and No One Is Illegal-Toronto alongside other concerned community members. The Canadian Press and OMNI Television were also on hand to contribute to national coverage of Mr. Singhs plight. In solidarity with the days' action, the Canadian Labour Congress, representing 3.2 million Canadian workers issued a letter in support of Mr. Singhs fight to remain in Canada. Simultaneous demonstrations and press conferences were held in Ottawa and Vancouver with echoing demands to Minister Finely to stop the deportation of Laibar Singh by granting his Humanitarian and Compassionate application to stay in Canada.
The Canadian Labour Congress, representing 3.2 million unionized workers, joins with human rights and community groups demanding the Immigration Minister stop the imminent deportation of Mr. Laibar Singh. Mr. Singh’s case is a clear call for humanitarian consideration for this former labourer. Mr. Singh is a refugee claimaint who is now paralyzed as a result of an aneurysm suffered in the summer of 2006. We are deeply concerned to learn that once again immigration authorities have pursued and arrested vulnerable individuals. Earlier this year, immigration authorities detained children of refugee claimants’ in an effort to flush out their parents for deportation. Now we are witnessing authorities pursue and arrest a paralyzed refugee claimant, in an Abbotsford BC hospital. Mr Singh is still entitled to a review of his case and was forced to leave temple sanctuary due to his deteriorating health, making his arrest and looming deportation possible. It is time for Canada’s Immigration Minister to act and stop this deportation. For further comment on this case please contact Karl Flecker, Canadian Labour Congress National Director of the Anti-Racism and Human Rights Department. kflecker@clc-ctc.ca  |
No One is Illegal (Toronto) is a group of immigrants, refugees and allies who fight for the rights of all migrants to live with dignity and respect.
We believe that granting citizenship to a privileged few is part of a racist immigration and border policies designed to exploit and marginalize migrants. We work to oppose these policies, as well as the international economic policies that create the conditions of poverty and war that force migration. At the same time, it is part of our ongoing work to support and build alliances with Indigenous peoples in their fight against colonialism, displacement and the ongoing occupation of their land. WE DEMAND:
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Part of the National Days of Action in Support of Laibar Singh
