Two Edmonton families facing imminent deportation — one to Mexico, the other to the Philippines — have been granted reprieve.
The families, both with young children, have gone public in recent weeks with safety concerns if they have to return to their countries of origin.
Luis Ubando Nolasco, Cynthia Carrasco Campos and their eight- and nine-year-old daughters were supposed to be on a flight to Mexico on Monday.
The family fled to Canada in 2018 and sought refugee protection after a family member was killed. The government rejected their requests to stay and they were ordered to leave the country.
But the couple say they met with Edmonton Center MP and federal Tourism Minister Randy Boisson on Saturday, who told them their deportation was on hold and they should not leave.
“I fell to the floor. I cried a lot,” Ubando Nolasco said Monday.
Carrasco Campos added that they are grateful to everyone who stepped in to offer support.
“I appreciate their help for me and my family. This is… good news. Yes. I feel good,” she said.
The couple said they have confirmed with the CBSA that their deportation is on hold for now, but said they are now waiting to find out more information. CBC News has asked the CBSA for comment on the case.
2nd pending deportation
The planned July 8 deportation of Evangeline Kayanan, whose six-year-old Canadian daughter McKenna will be forced to go on her back to the Philippines, has also been postponed, Kayanan’s lawyer confirmed Sunday.
Kayanan came to Canada in 2010 as a temporary foreign worker. She claims she became undocumented after reporting alleged abuse to two employers.
After the birth of her daughter, 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.
Kayanan also volunteers with Migrante Alberta, supporting migrant workers.
Rally of supporters
Migrante Canada and its Alberta affiliate supported Kayanan and the family of Ubando Nolasco and Carrasco Campos.
Both families have contacted Boissonnault’s office in recent 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 to Canada, their family and children will remain in Canada and in our community.” Today is a good day.”
Boissonnault confirmed that he also met with Cayanan and works with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, but said he could not comment further on the case due to privacy concerns.
Applications to remain are still pending
Both families have applied to the federal government for permission to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Kayanan claims that in the Philippines, her daughter would not have access to the health services she currently receives in Canada. Kayanan also fears retribution for his activism and public criticism of the country’s government if he returns.
Ubando Nolasco and his family submitted evidence that they would be in danger if they returned to Mexico. After his brother was killed in 2018, Ubando Nolasco began receiving threats and demands for money from an unknown person or group. The murder remains unsolved.
As he spoke to the CBC on Monday, the family was struggling to find a new place to live and clean up the apartment they lived in before the deportation.
The CBSA had them prepare to leave, so many of their belongings had already been given away and they had made arrangements to move from their current location.
Both parents work — Ubando Nolasco as a welder and Carrasco Campos in web design. They say they have been able to keep their jobs now that they are staying.
As hectic and emotional as the past few weeks have been, Ubando Nolasco said the family said overall they’re just relieved.
“We need to settle in a new place to create a new adventure for our family and start fresh,” he said.
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