Deportation pending for family living in B.C. 13 years after assault prompted flee from Mexico
Dozens gathered outside a Metro Vancouver school Monday night protesting what they call flaws in Canada's immigration system.
The rally outside an elementary school in New Westminster was in support of a family facing deportation to Mexico 13 years after they fled the country.
The couple made a refugee claim when they first arrived in Canada, but that claim was denied.
They didn't have a lawyer and they didn't speak English very well so, they said, they didn't know how to appeal the decision.
Since then, Alberto Mendez and his wife, Adriana Rosales, have lived in B.C. as undocumented migrants. They now have a daughter.
Last summer, the couple connected with a lawyer and filed an immigration application seeking to remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds, but in November, after dropping her daughter off at Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School, Rosales was arrested.
Her arrest by Canada Border Service Agency officers sparked outrage in the community. An organizer of the rally called it "shocking and terrifying," and said the arrest made people afraid to go to school.
The New Westminster Sanctuary Schools policy means all kids, no matter their immigration status, can attend.
Hundreds of people from the school community have written letters to the federal immigration minister asking him to approve the family's application before they are deported on July 8.
A volunteer with Sanctuary Health, an advocacy group supporting migrants, said the couple left Mexico after Mendez was assaulted.
The group said the assault happened after Mendez refused to join a criminal organization.
It says the couple was scared for their lives, and hoped for a better, safer life in Canada.
Sanctuary Health said many migrants in Canada who are in that situation want to do the proper paperwork and live here legally, but the system is set up to fail them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.