Kenney's office silence regarding deportation

The Toronto Star:

The offices of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and the Canada Border Services Agency won’t say if they will stay the deportation of a family that fears violence at the hands of a guerrilla organization in Colombia.

Mississauga residents Claudia Londono, her husband Juan Martinez, and sons Sebastian Martinez, 13 and Camilo Martinez, 4, are scheduled to be sent back to Colombia this weekend.

Sebastian’s mother believes the family will face retaliation from a guerrilla group known for the abduction and torture of prominent Colombian citizens called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, best known by its Spanish acronym, FARC.

She worked as a prison psychologist in Colombia where she encouraged members to cut their ties with the organization.

Kenney’s office has referred previous requests for comment to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. A CIC spokesperson has said Kenney “does not have the authority” to stop a deportation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The last response to requests for comment was on Wednesday. The decision is up to the Canada Border Services Agency, she said.

NDP and Liberal critics have called on Kenney to stay the deportation and for his office to review the case but it has not resulted in a change in the family’s status.

On Friday New Democrat MP Don Davies, critic for Citizenship and Immigration continued to call for Kenney’s office to stop the deportation.

“I urge the Minister to personally review this case. The consequences of a wrong decision here could be fatal,” said Davies in an emailed statement.

He said “staying the deportation to properly review” the families pending application to stay in the country on humanitarian and compassionate grounds is “prudent and justified.”

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