Vol. 77/No. 5      February 11, 2013

“We are here to denounce the government’s dirty tricks,” Roberto Sanchez told the crowd. The previous night, Sanchez explained, Fernando Reyes, his wife Marisol Mendez and their two teenage children, Ingrid and Eduardo, received a call from the Canada Border Services Agency to report immediately to the immigration office downtown to receive “good news.” When they got there they were arrested by immigration cops, taken to the airport and escorted to a plane. They bypassed the usual terminal building where their friends and supporters were waiting to say goodbye.

“These deportations are criminal and inhuman,” said Sanchez. “We are not criminals, we have a right to be here. We are honest, hard-working people.”

Reyes says he fled Mexico with his family in 2008 after he had been kidnapped three times by the police. During their four years here, the family ran a printmaking shop and a taco business. Appeals to delay their deportation to let Eduardo finish his school year were rejected by the immigration authorities, who said the family should seek safety by moving to another region of Mexico.

“I came here to support the family,” truck driver Carlos Morales told the Militant.

“These deportations have to stop. Demonstrations like this tell the population what is happening,” said Noé Arteaga Santos, who is fighting to win his job back with Les Serres du St-Laurent, which produces tomatoes.

Several years ago, Arteaga said, he was fired and deported to Guatemala after taking part in a work stoppage demanding medical aid for an injured coworker. After returning to Canada he launched a complaint, which is still before the Quebec Labor Board.

One sign held by a protester said that more than 21,000 Mexicans have been deported by Ottawa since 2006, an average of seven per day.

A new federal immigration law went into effect Dec. 15 that makes it easier for the government to reject refugee claims and speed up deportations.

Other speakers at the rally included Amir Khadir, member of the Quebec National Assembly for Quebec Solidaire; and New Democratic Party member of Parliament Rosane Doré Lefebvre.

For information, contact Mexicans United for Regularization at: mexicanxsunidxs@gmail.com

Michel Dugré contributed to this article.
 
 
Related articles:
Iowa gov’t concedes to driver’s licenses for immigrant youth
 
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home