[mobglob-discuss] FW: Victory Against Immigration Canada!

[Graeme Bacque]

-----Original Message-----
From: ocap at tao.ca [mailto:ocap at tao.ca]
Sent: Friday, December 20, 2002 7:15 PM
To: ocap at lists.tao.ca
Subject: Victory Against Immigration Canada!

Though still awaiting written confirmation, Dorothy Igharo, a non-status
Nigerian woman living in Canada for the last 7 years has been informed by
Immigration Canada that she will be allowed to remain in Canada and will
finally be granted landed status!

Dorothy and members of OCAP, the Committee of Non-Status Algerians
(Montreal) and No One is Illegal (Montreal) brought delegations to two
Immigration offices on December 10th demanding that Dorothy be allowed to
remain in Canada.  The first stop was at the Greater Toronto Enforcement
Centre (charged with administering deportations and detention) where
although police were quickly summoned, Dorothy and supporters continued to
shout down management demanding that they stop her deportation.  The
delegation then proceeded to the Ontario Regional Office of Immigration
where Dorothy forced their PR Hack to hear her out demanding that he look
at her daughter's picture and explain why it was legitimate for
Immigration Canada to tear her family apart.  Eventually a meeting was
granted with Immigration PR rep Rejean Coutlon in which Dorothy and reps
from the Non-Status Algerian Women's Committee and OCAP continued to press
for answers.  Two supportive articles regarding her case also appeared in
the Toronto Sun.

The day after our actions a Director from the Enforcement Centre contacted
Dorothy's Immigration lawyer informing her that Dorothy's Pre-Removal Risk
Assessment had been approved.  Fewer than 5% of all such assessments are
won and it was particularly doubtful that Dorothy would win her assessment
as this would require Immigration to question their prior decision to deny
her refugee status.  As well, most of the risk arguments she had made were
about the risk of female circumcision her 2 year old daughter would face
if she accompanied her mom to Nigeria and Immigration Canada by law will
not consider the risks faced by a Canadian-born child who faces defacto
deportation with their non-status parents.  Winning this assessment means
that Dorothy can not be deported and forces Immigration Canada to grant
her landed status (barring any unforseen complications).

This win is a tremendous relief to Dorothy and we would like to thank all
those who expressed their solidarity by coming to the action and writing
the Minister of Immigration.  However, we are also very mindful of the
fact that this is an individual victory against a system that is brutally
injust and maintains an underclass of "disposable" non-status workers.
Just as Dorothy, a "good" Immigrant who works and has a family, is being
granted status, Immigration Canada is conducting sweeps across the city,
detaining and deporting non-status people with criminal records.  At this
time in the U.S., close to 1000 muslim men have just been detained in L.A.
and the European Union is considering abandoning the whole concept of
permanent refugee status, forcing all refugees to return to their home
countries once euro-colonial governments have deemed them to be safe.  But
every time angry non-status people and their supporters storm Immigration
offices it makes it less and less comfortable for them to carry on quietly
destroying peoples' lives and serves as an example to all that direct action
works.

---- see backgrounder below ----


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  December 8, 2002

Immigration Canada Threatens to Ignore Court Order:  Deport Mom to Nigeria
and force 2 year old into foster care

Dorothy Igharo, a failed Refugee claimant who fled Nigeria 7 years ago, is
being threatened with deportation, despite an order from the Family Court
giving her full custody of her two year old daughter, Precious, and
forbidding the child from being removed from Ontario as it would be
against her best interests.

In 1995 Dorothy claimed Refugee status on the basis that she had been gang
raped and beaten in retribution for her uncles political activity in
Nigeria.  Although the Immigration and Refugee Board accepted her Doctors
evidence that she had been subjected to severe physical trauma, her claim
was still rejected.

Unable to return to Nigeria, Dorothy has made a life here and is trying to
gain status on Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds.  She has been
granted full custody of her 2 year old daughter (who has no other family
in Canada) and an interim order from the Family Court forbidding the child
from being removed from Ontario as this would be against her best
interests depriving her of any possible relationship or support from her
father and forcing her to face hardship including the imminent possibility
of being subjected to female circumcision in Nigeria.  Dorothy is a victim
of female circumcision and is very strongly against the practice.

Despite this, and knowing that Precious father cannot be found,
Deportation Officer J. Atkinson is threatening to deport Dorothy, forcing
her daughter into foster care.  In fact, Immigration Canada has issued an
internal memo to all Deportation Officers telling them that they can
pursue deportation of any non-status parent whose child has a non-removal
order from Canada.  This is another bitter reminder of the Liberal
governments crackdown on Immigrants and Refugees and its utter disregard
for their well-being.

The Liberal government talks about re-unifying Immigrant families while
quietly tearing families apart.  OCAP is putting the Minister of
Immigration on notice: We will do whatever it takes to support Dorothys
struggle to gain full status in Canada. As an anti-poverty organization we
cannot tolerate the exploitation and expulsion of undocumented workers
living in Canada and are united with groups internationally fighting under
the banner that No One is Illegal.

For more information contact:   Sarah Vance (OCAP):  (416) 806-4983
				Sheilagh OConnell (Family Law Office):
							(416) 348-0001

			       **
		   Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
	517 College Street, Suite 234  Toronto, Ontario  M5G 4A2
	     416-925-6939   ocap at tao.ca   www.ocap.ca
			       **





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