Two Edmonton families facing imminent deportation – one to Mexico, the other to the Philippines – have been granted a reprieve.
The families, both with young children, have in recent weeks gone public with concerns about their safety if they were to return to their home countries.
Luis Ubando Nolasco, Cinthya Carrasco Campos and their eight- and nine-year-old daughters were due to fly to Mexico on Monday.
The family fled to Canada in 2018 and sought asylum after a family member was killed. The government rejected their applications to stay and they were ordered to leave the country.
But the couple say that on Saturday they met with Edmonton Center MP and federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, who told them their eviction had been halted and they did not have to leave.
“I fell on the ground. I cried a lot,” Ubando Nolasco said on Monday.
Carrasco Campos added that they are grateful to everyone who stepped up to offer their support.
“I appreciate their help for me and my family. It’s… good news. Yes. I feel great,” she said.
The couple said they have confirmed with CBSA that their deportation is on hold at this time, but said they are now waiting for more information. CBC News has asked the CBSA to comment on the case.
2nd eviction pending
The July 8 deportation of Evangeline Cayanan, whose six-year-old Canadian daughter, McKenna, would be forced to accompany her to the Philippines, is also on hold, Cayanan’s lawyer confirmed on Sunday.
Cayanan came to Canada in 2010 as a temporary foreign worker. She alleges she became undocumented after reporting two employers for alleged abuse.
After her daughter was born, she raised her alone and became an activist. She won an award from the John Humphrey Center for Peace and Human Rights for her work fighting for access to health care for children of undocumented parents.
Cayanan also volunteers with Migrante Alberta, supporting migrant workers.
Gathering of supporters
Migrante Canada and its Alberta chapter supported Cayanan and the family of Ubando Nolasco and Carrasco Campos.
The two families had been in contact with the Boissonnault office for the past few weeks.
“To say this has been a stressful time for the Nolasco family is an understatement,” Boissonnault said in a statement Monday.
“Thanks to our team working quickly with Immigration Canada, the family and their children will remain in Canada and in our community. Today is a good day.”
Boissonnault confirmed he had also met with Cayanan and worked with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, but said he could not comment further on the matter due to confidentiality concerns.
Stay requests still pending
Both families have applied to the federal government for permission to remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds.
Cayanan argued that in the Philippines, her daughter would not have access to the health care services she currently receives in Canada. Cayanan also fears reprisals for her activism and public criticism of the country’s government if she were to return.
Ubando Nolasco and his family have filed evidence that they would be in danger if returned to Mexico. After his brother was killed in 2018, Ubando Nolasco started receiving threats and demands for money from an unknown person or group. The homicide remains unsolved.
During an interview with CBC on Monday, the family was struggling to find a new place to live and to clean up the apartment they lived in before the eviction.
CBSA asked them to prepare to leave, so many of their belongings had already been donated and they had made arrangements to leave their current accommodation.
Both parents work – Ubando Nolasco as a welder and Carrasco Campos as a web designer. They say they have been able to keep their jobs now that they are staying.
As turbulent and emotional as the past few weeks have been, Ubando Nolasco said the family overall said they simply felt relieved.
“We have to settle in a new place to create a new adventure for our family and start from scratch,” he said.
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