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Women's activist deported to Iran despite fear of persecution
Global BC
December 7, 2004
CREDIT: Global BC
Haleh Sahba, 30, was deported to Iran Tuesday after an emotional plea to stay in Canada failed to move immigration officials. Sahba fears persecution in her country due to her history as a women's rights activist there.
A woman was deported to Iran Tuesday despite her claims that she'll face punishment, possibly even death, for her history as a women's rights activist there.
The family of 30-year-old Haleh Sahba bid her a tearful goodbye at Vancouver International Airport before she boarded a plane bound for Tehran.
Sahba told immigration officials she had spent time in jail in Iran after campaigning for rights and freedoms for women in her home country and feared retaliation or execution if sent back.
She was denied refugee status although her parents and younger brother and sister legally immigrated to Canada six years ago.
Sahba worked at Starbucks for the last three years. The company had also been supporting her fight to stay in Canada.
© Global BC 2004
Update on Haleh Sahba
December 6, 2004
Today, December 6th, a day Canada commemorates as a day of action and remembrance on violence against women, Immigration Canada has decided to deport a woman back to a country notorious for its dismal human rights record and on-going persecution of women.
Haleh Sahba is a refugee claimant in Vancouver whose case, like many other refugee claimants in Canada, has been denied despite strong evidence that if she returns to Iran she will face detention, persecution from an abusive ex-husband, and possible imprisonment. Last week, after three years of working and living in Canada with her immediate and extended family, she was told she is to be deported on Tuesday, December 7th at 10:30 am.
Today at a hearing at the Federal Court, Immigration Canada rejected her last chance to stay in Canada. Haleh Sahba was forced to come to Canada with a fake passport and if she is returned she will certainly be detained. Leaving Iran with false documents is a crime punishable by up to five years imprisonment. She is likely to be imprisoned longer due to her previous political involvement in Iran and her rejected refugee status in Canada. Immigration Canada claimed that because they would not be escorting Haleh to Iran, that she could just lie to the Iranian authorities about where she has been for the past three years.
After the hearing, Haleh’s family and supporters, the Federation of Iranian Refugees, No One Is Illegal, the Anti-Poverty Committee, the Downtown Eastside Resident’s Association, the Bus Riders Union, Stop War joined the War Resisters for a rally outside of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to protest Haleh’s deportation. Women in Haleh’s family spoke strongly about the links between the women killed in Montreal fourteen years ago and the oppression women face today in Iran.
Canada is well aware of the record of deteriorating human rights in Iran due to the Canadian government’s own investigation into the death of journalist Zahra Kazemi at the hands of Iranian authorities. But Immigration Canada is still sending Haleh, and many other Iranians back to an unsafe and potentially deadly situation. If Canada really wants to take action on violence of women, this country must stop deporting women now. Stop the deportations now!
For more information: Contact No One is Illegal Vancouver http://noii-van.resist.ca, noii-van@resist.ca or call 604-682-3269 ext. 7149
BACKGROUND:
Haleh Sahba is a 30-year old refugee claimant in Vancouver- Canada whose is facing deportation to Iran on Tuesday Dec 7, 2004. Haleh has spent almost 3 years struggling with Immigration of Canada, and like many refugees in the post 9/11 climate, her case was denied. Now, after 3 years of trying to build a life here, Immigration Canada, with less than one week notice, has booked a flight to deport her to Iran on Tuesday Dec 7, 2004 at 10:30 AM.
Haleh has filed for a stay of deportation, a last minute attempt to remain in Canada, which will be heard on Monday December 6 in Federal Court. It is imperative that we pack the courtroom in support of Haleh and continue to pressure the government to grant her landed status in Canada.
Haleh fled Iran as women’s right activist and student activist involved in the movement for democracy in Iran. Haleh and others in her family have been active since a young age for womens rights and democratic rights in Iran. Her aunt is a well-known activist who fled Iran due to her work. Haleh herself was abused by her husband due to her increasing work as an activist and struggled to get a divorce. Due to her activities she was banned from Tehran University for three years (1997-2000) and only allowed to return in 2000 with many restrictions and conditions. In July 2000, she was arrested as one of the protest organizers at Tehran University. Upon being released from jail, Haleh went into hiding and fled Iran in 2000 and arrived in Canada in January 2001.
Immigration Canada refused to acknowledge that she would face danger if forced to return to Iran.
Haleh worked as assistant manager in a Star Bucks for almost 2 years and also carries a degree in English Studies and is highly experienced as a piano teacher. During her stay in Canada, she actively supported and participated in the Iranian movement for women’s rights and volunteered and organized with various women centres.
Haleh’s family lives in Canada. She has no one in Iran and no prospects for employment. Being forced to return to Iran has always been her greatest fear. Once in Iran, she will certainly be detained (leaving Iran with false documents is a crime punishable by upto 5 years imprisonment) and probably imprisoned for even longer due to her previous activities in Iran and also her involvement in Canada, which places her at far greater risk.
On November 5, 2004 Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew announced that Canada tabled a resolution at the 59th session of the UN General Assembly, on the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran and the Canadian government maintains a travel advisory to Iran for Canadians. Meanwhile, the Immigration Canada is sending Haleh, and others Iranians,
back to serious danger.
Justice for Adrian Dragan
Ocotober 26, 2004
Adrian Dragan, a Roma refugee that has been held for 16 months awaiting removal to Romania, will have another detention review hearing on Tuesday.
Last week Dragan was put into solitary confinement and he was on hunger strike at Fraser Pre-trial in Coquitlam, BC after refusing to sign documents that he is willing to return to Romania.
He is a Roma (also known as "Gypsy") and faces serious danger and repression if removed to Romania, where Roma people are regularly attacked and persecuted. In fact, Adrian renounced his citizenship in Romania in 1993 to condemn the racism against Roma there, and since he does not have formal citizenship, he is now being held in jailed limbo, without rights as a citizen in either Canada or Romania.
Canada has already tried once to send Adrian to Romania, but he was refused at the Romanian border. Since he is no longer a citizen of Romania, it would have been against international law to force him to enter, so he was sent back to Canada and now in continued detention by Immigration Canada.
As a stateless citizen, Dragan has no homeland and no country of residence. As a signatory of the United Nations? 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, Canada has an international duty to accept and protect stateless people.
Call, write or fax (see sample letter below) and demand that Canada live up to its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1978) and not deport him to Romania unless the government can guarantee Adrian's complete citizenship rights, safety and freedom in Romania.
For more information contact
No One is Illegal Vancouver: noii-van@resist.ca or call (604) 682-3269 x 7149
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty: ocap@tao.ca or call (416) 925-6939
SAMPLE LETTER:
Peter Lundy
Deputy Director, Central Europe Dept
Foreign Affairs Canada
613-996-7800
Romanian Consulate
111 Peter St.
Toronto, ON M5V 2H1
Phone: 416/585-5802
Fax: 416/585 4798
Judy Sgro, P.C., M.P.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Fax: 613 947 8319, Tel: 613 992 7774
E-mail: Minister@cic.gc.ca
Anne McLellan, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
c/o Solicitor General of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
Fax: 613 990-9077, Tel: 613 991 2924
E-mail: McLellan.A@parl.gc.ca
Adrian Dragan, is a Roma (also known as "Gypsy") and faces serious danger and repression if removed to Romania, where Roma people are regularly attacked and persecuted. In fact, Adrian renounced his citizenship in Romania in 1993 to condemn the racism against Roma there, and since he does not have formal citizenship, he is now being held in jailed limbo, without rights as a citizen in either Canada or Romania.
Canada has already tried once to send Adrian to Romania, but he was refused at the border and sent back to Canada, to continued detention by Immigration Canada.
On behalf of Adrian, I demand that Adrian not be compelled in any way to sign documents that state that he is willing to be returned to Romania,and that Adrian be release from detention immediately.
I find it deplorable that Canada would treat asylum seekers in such a manner: placing them under duress in order to compel them to ?agree? to be deported. Canada must live up to its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and not deport him to Romania unless the government can guarantee Adrian's complete citizenship rights, safety and freedom in Romania.
Sincerely,
For more info: OCAP
Restore Legal Aid for Immigrants and Refugees in BC
September 30, 2004
Given the increasing incarceration and deportation of refugee communities, the cuts to legal aid will only serve to perpetuate the process of criminalization and exploitation of vulnerable and oppressed peoples.
The Legal Services Society is an independent society that provides legal aid and community training. Refugee communities, already the most vulnerable and marginalized communities who have lived through indescribable horrors, will loose fundamental legal protection and will not be able to exercise equal rights under the law.
In the year 2003-2004, legal aid funding for immigration cases totaled $4.9 million. However, provincial Attorney General Geoffrey Plant told LSS that funding for these cases is a federal responsibility and the LSS and Attorney General signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 5, 2003 that all provincial funding for immigration and refugee cases would be $0 as of February 28 2004. Earlier this year, an agreement between the provincial and federal governments has provided a token dismal $1.7 million, resulting in catastrophic effects including implementation of a profiling-based, pre-screening process for refugee cases and judicial review.
The Anti-Poverty Committee working with No One Is Illegal continues to demand the restoring of legal aid to $5 million to maintain adequate access to legal services and call for a repeal of any profiling-based screening process.
Update on Mourad
June 23, 2004
The Canadian government deported Mourad to Algeria yesterday, along with three other Algerian refugees, after a clearly racist judge dismissed his case in less than twenty minutes on technical grounds. Mourad is now in an uncertain and dire situation in the middle of civil war in Algeria away from his Canadian family and his life in Canada.
No more deportations! Canada is now regularly deportating refugees back to war-torn countries with governments that are known violators of human rights: Algeria, Libya, Pakistan, Iran. Canada is also refusing aslyum to stateless Palestian refugees.
Refugees Against Racial Profiling and No One Is Illegal are working hard to stop deportations but they need people to pack the courtrooms of deporation hearings, to call and write immigrant officials with support for refugee cases, and to come to demonstrations. For more information please contact No One Is Illegal at noii-van@resist.ca.
Deportation of Algerian Refugee Stayed
Victory for Mourad and his family
June 7, 2004
A small but energetic demonstration with Refugees Against Racial Profiling and their supporters took place today at Citizenship and Immigration Canada to protest the deportation of Mouard Khinneche to Algeria. Mourad was facing deportation to a civil war in Algeria that has taken the lives of over 200,000 people. Mourad was devastated and fearful of leaving his home in Vancouver, his job and his wife who is a Canadian citizen. Messages of support came today for Mourad from various community organizations, political candidates and members of the Muslim community.
Cabinet Minister Stephen Owen was cornered in his car as he was departing from an All-Candidates meeting and one Algerian man facing deportation challenged him "You are deporting us to Algeria because you think there are no problems there. I tell you to go to Algeria, even for one month and live there. Not in a hotel, without bodyguards, live there how we live, see people tortured, watch people die, and worry about family members disappeared, and then you can say that Algeria is safe for return"
Later that evening, Mourad received a phone call saying that his deportation was postponed for "technical reasons" till June 22. Although hardly a major victory, the family as well as members of Refugees Against Racial Profiling certainly consider this their first ray of hope in their continuing struggle for life and dignity.
For more information, contact No One is Illegal at 778-552-2099 or noii-van@resist.ca
REFUGEES AGAINST RACIAL PROFILING DEMAND:
1) An end to all racism in the Refugee Determination system that results in unfair and inhuman deportations and detentions in Canada.
2) Regularized status for all asylum seekers in Canada
Demonstration to Demand Mohamed Cherfi's Return
BRING MOHAMED CHERFI HOME! REPORT FROM VANCOUVER On March 9, 60 people gathered in front of CIC offices in Vancouver to denounce the sanctuary violation that led to Mohamed Cherfi’s arrest and deportation, and to demand that Mohamed Cherfi be brought back home. The rally consisted of solidarity messages from the Palestine Community Center, South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy, Vancouver Association of Chinese-Canadians as well as public denouncements of the IRB and CIC by activists and an outspoken refugee lawyer. Those gathered were moved by an aboriginal prayer conducted to ensure the safe return of Mohamed Cherfi to his home. The message was clear: Mohamed Cherfi is not the criminal, the refugee system and the government is. Zool Suleman, a refugee lawyer, spoke about the repressive new immigration legislation, which does not yet have the Appeal division as it promised, and reinforced that the public should be outraged at the violation of sanctuary to deport a brave human rights defender. Nandita Sharma was impassioned about the need to put people’s survival and dignity before the Canadian state’s racist agenda against communities of the global South. Protesters carried banners and flyers ‘Bring Mohamed Cherfi home‘. Several cab drivers outside the offices and those entering the offices were interested in the information. One Algerian man exited the CIC offices with a deportation date within two days and joined the demonstration for refugee rights and justice for Mohamed Cherfi. In his words “I have fled from a horrible civil war in Algeria. But still it does not compare to here. Here it is not a civil war, but it is a war of a different kind which I have been facing for four years. Here they pretend there is no war.” After one hour, approximately 25 protestors proceeded upstairs into the CIC offices with banners, flyers and chanting “No Borders, No Nations, Stop the Deportations” through the hallways and amidst perplexed employees, judges and security. Six RCMP was already stationed upstairs. The protestors filled the tiny hallway and the waiting area and proceeded to chant to demand the return of Mohamed Cherfi. The police present there were also specifically targeted for their policies of enforcement, especially against immigrant/refugee communities and poor people, and for their complicity in violating the centuries-long tradition of sanctuary. The energy was incredibly high as people clapped and banged and screamed throughout, effectively shutting down the office as employees were unable to continue with their ‘business as usual’ for 45 minutes. Those in the waiting area chose to remain and listen about the history of the Non-status Algerian struggle. It was made very clear that in the weeks to come, protestors will continue to picket and target CIC for its policies of deportation and to ensure the return of Mohamed.
National Day of Action for Palestinian Refugees
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN REFUGEES FACING DEPORTATION FROM CANADA Thursday April 8th, 2004 ----------------------------------- In Vancouver - Picket in Solidarity with Palestinian Refugees Facing Deportation Thursday April 8th, 12 Noon Citizenship & Immigration Canada 300 West Georgia ----------------------------------- THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW! A national day of action will bring the struggle of around 100 Palestinian refugees facing deportation from Canada to the streets of major Canadian cities. Several deportations of stateless Palestinian refugees are set to be executed in the coming days, and many more in the coming weeks. With your participation and collective support we can halt these deportations. This day of action will also highlight the case of Khalil Ayoub, 67 Nabih Ayoub, 69 and Therese Boulos Haddad, 62, three Palestinian refugees from the refugee camp of Ein El-Helweh in Lebanon who have taken sanctuary in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace Church in Montreal since the 30th of January 2004, in order to escape deportation. We will unite in solidarity against the inhumane policy of deportation, which was clearly exposed in the case of Ahmed Abdel-Majeed, a Palestinian from Ein El Helweh refugee camp in Lebanon, who was one of the leading organizers of the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees. In November 2003, after spending more than 3 years in Canada, Ahmed was forcibly detained and deported by Citizenship & Immigration Canada to a United States County Jail from which he was released under a $10,000 bond. In January 2004, he was deported back to the refugee camp of Ein El Helweh. The stateless Palestinian refugees - who have self-organized as the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees - will continue their struggle against Citizenship & Immigration Canada's attempt to deport them to the illegal and deadly Israeli military occupation which plagues daily life throughout Occupied Palestine and to the violence, poverty and persecution, which defines daily life in the Palestinian refugee camps throughout Lebanon. The Palestinian refugees are calling on you to join this action in solidarity with their struggle for justice and dignity. We will be demanding from Citizenship & Immigration Canada: 1. To stop the deportations of the Palestinian refugees from Canada, 2. To regularize the status of the Palestinian refugees in Canada. THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE CONTINUES! JUSTICE FOR ALL IMMIGRANTS & REFUGEES! Organized by: No One is Illegal Vancouver Information: / Email: noii-van@resist.ca
SUPPORT AMIR KAZEMIAN IN SANCTUARY!
SUPPORT AMIR KAZEMIAN IN SANCTUARY! DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF REFUGEES ! * please read on to find out how you can help * Amir Kazemian and his mother came to Canada to escape persecution and torture in Iran. His mother has been allowed to stay on the basis of the perseuction her husband and son faced, but in a manner that exposes the arbitariness of the refugee determination system, Amir was not granted refugee status and ordered deported on June 15, 2004. Both Amir and his father, Freedon Kazemian, were politically active in opposition to the Khomeni regime in Iran. Freedon Kazemian became the leader of an opposition party that is struggling to achieve democracy and Amir was involved with his father politically. They were tortured for this and also imprisoned at different times for 1 and 7 years respectively. Amir Kazemi, in danger of torture or even execution if returned to Iran, has received asylum in the Saint Michael Anglican Church. In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, Amir explained his desperation "If the police come, I've made things to hang me. If they send me over there, they'll kill me. IT's better I do these things myself. Then everybody can see the face of humanity in this country." Currently in Canada, at least five other families remain in sanctuary in a desperate bid to protect their lives. Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Paul Martin granted status to a Serbian woman in sanctuary in Halifax. We must continue to pressure the government for a just resolution to inreasingly inhumane and unjust refugee policies, including the lack of an appeals process, that force people to seek santuary. HOW TO SUPPORT AMIR: 1) WRITE A LETTER/ CALL/ OR FAX: see below for sample letter The Honourable Judy Sgro, P.C., M.P. Citizenship and Immigration Canada Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 1L1 Fax: 613-947-8319 Tel: 613-992-7774 E-mail: Minister@cic.gc.caand The Honourable Anne McLellan, P.C., M.P. Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness c/o Solicitor General of Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Fax: 613-990-9077 Tel: 613-991-2924 E-mail: McClellan.A@parl.gc.ca2) MAKE A DONATION: There are significant costs associated with sanctuary, such as food and other necessities. There are also legal costs to ensure effective representation for Amir. Please do consider a donation. You can make cheques payable to "Amir Kazemian" Cheques can be sent to: No One is Illegal, c/o Palestine Community Center, 1874 Kingsway Vancouver, BC Canada, V5N 2S7. 3) STAY IN TOUCH: A support group will continue to pressure the government and raise awareness, in conjunction with the wishes of Amir. We are currently organizing food donations for Amir, as well as coordinating visits to Amir. To stay in touch, e-mail noii-van@resist.ca or call 778-552-2099. Thank you for action on this very important case. In solidarity and struggle, Friends and supporters of Amir Kazemian ________________________________________________________________________ Dear Honourable Ministers: I am writing urgently to bring to your attention the case of Amir Kazemian I am asking that you cancel all removal orders against Amir and that he be granted residency in Canada. There are very compelling humanitarian reasons to grant him status in Canada. Both Amir and his father, Freedon Kazemian, were politically active in opposition to the Khomeni regime in Iran. Freedon Kazemian became the leader of an opposition party that is struggling to achieve democracy and Amir was involved with his father politically. They were tortured for this and also imprisoned at different times for 1 and 7 years respectively. Amir fled to Canada in 1997 in the hopes of establishing a new and safe life. Amir's mother has been allowed to stay on the basis of the perseuction her husband and son faced, while Amir has been forced into sanctuary in order to protect his life. The lack of a proper appeals procedure on the merits of refugee asylum claims is a further argument in favour of Amir. The previous Immigration Minister publicly announced and promised a fair and impartial appeals procedure, as part of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Still, no basic appeals procedure exists, to the detriment of Amir and all refugee claimants. Despite the obstacles in their path, and the suffering they have endured, Amir and his mother have integrated well into Canadian society. Prior to taking sanctuary, Amir was been working and supporting his family. The case of Amir has probably been reported in Iran, which increases the danger to him if deported against his will. Canada is a signatory to the Convention Against Torture and the Convention for the Protection of Refugees, as well as various other human rights instruments. However, the stated Canadian commitment to human rights is severely compromised by the refusal to give asylum to Amir. As Amir remains confined inside a church, I have become acquainted with his case. I have been moved by his courage to write to you. Honourable Ministers, you both have it within your power to correct this situation. Minister McClellan: I respectfully urge you to stop all removal orders against Amir. Minister Sgro: I urge you to use your powers to grant residency to Amir. Thank you for your personal consideration of this very urgent matter. Sincerely,
Churches no longer safe haven for refugees
Quebec City police arrest of Algerian 'creates a dangerous precedent'
By RHÉAL SÉGUIN
Globe and Mail
Tuesday, Mar. 9, 2004
QUEBEC CITY -- When Quebec City police entered the United Church on Friday to arrest Algerian refugee claimant Mohamed Cherfi, Canada's immigration officials served a warning that churches may no longer be a safe sanctuary for refugees.
It was the first time in Canada that police breached the sanctity of the church sanctuary, triggering a political debate over the centuries-old secular tradition of allowing legitimate fugitives or refugees to seek asylum in a church.
"This creates a dangerous precedent. We have to take action and create public awareness over the significance of the police action," said Helene Vallière, a spokes-woman for a group created to fight Canada's decision to send Mr. Cherfi back to the United States, where he will face an extradition hearing for deportation to Algeria.
Demonstrations will be held today in at least five major cities -- Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City -- to protest the police raid on the United Church and pressure federal Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan to have Mr. Cherfi, 35, returned to Canada.
"This is a person that needs protection. His life will be in danger in Algeria," Mr. Cherfi's spouse, Louise Boivin, said yesterday. "Police violated the church sanctuary, he was treated violently and imprisoned. Yet he is not a criminal. He only wants protection."
Mr. Cherfi, who arrived from Algeria in 1998 and entered Canada from the United States, had claimed refugee status. Last January his request to remain in Canada was rejected after a long legal battle with Canadian and Quebec immigration officials. According to his supporters, Mr. Cherfi's arrest was politically motivated and was part of a well-orchestrated plan on the part of Quebec and federal governments, determined to deport him, regardless of the church's resolve to protect him.
On Friday, Quebec City police stormed the St-Pierre United Church in the Old City where Mr. Cherfi sought refuge on February 9. United Church minister Gérard Doré met the police at the door.
"Are you aware that you are violating a sanctuary, something which has never happened in Canada?" Mr. Doré told the police.
"We have a warrant for his arrest," police told him, as they forced their way around Mr. Doré and entered the church.
At least seven officers chased a panicked Mr. Cherfi from the living room before he was jumped, handcuffed and dragged outside into a police car.
Mr. Cherfi was arrested on a warrant from a Montreal municipal court for failing to give notice of his change of address, violating a condition of release following a minor infraction during a recent demonstration to protest against human-rights violations in Algeria.
But no sooner had Mr. Cherfi arrived at the Quebec City police station than the charges were dropped and he was set free . . . right into the arms of officers of the Canadian Border Service Agency, who were waiting in an adjacent room. Mr. Cherfi was immediately driven to the U.S. border, where he was taken into custody and detained at the Franklin County jail in Malone, N.Y. He has been arraigned to appear within 10 days before a U.S immigration board in Buffalo.
"This was all a frame-up," Mr. Doré said. "It is immoral. Mohamed was arrested because he was strong defender of Algerian refugees in Canada."
Mr. Cherfi was the spokesman for a group called the Committee of non-status Algerians, set-up in 2002 after Ottawa abolished the moratorium protecting Algerian refugees from deportation to their war-torn homeland. The group has been fighting to protect 1,006 Algerian refugees in Canada from deportation after the moratorium was lifted.
There are no laws that protect refugees in church sanctuaries. But until now Canadian authorities have been reluctant to violate the clergy's sacred vow to protect those it believed were victims of abuse of power or unjustly treated.
France adopted a law allowing police to breach church sanctuaries. In the United States and Britain, police have often broken the sacred, unwritten law that dates back to the Middle Ages. Here in Canada, there has never been a political debate on the issue.
Canada's church sanctuary movement began in 1983 when a Guatemalan was harboured in a Montreal area church and was eventually granted a stay of deportation. The movement crosses all denominations and has spread right across the country.
Since 1993, more than 250 people involved in 35 cases have sought the church's protection in their fight to remain in Canada. At least six refugees in Canada are currently protected in church sanctuaries, including a Serbian woman in an Anglican church shelter in Halifax, a Bangladeshi refugee in a Unitarian congregation in Ottawa, two in a United Church shelter in Montreal, and two others in Catholic Church sanctuaries in Montreal and Calgary.
The United Church of Canada has received the support of the Canadian Council of Churches as part of a Canada-wide effort to fight to rehabilitate church sanctuaries and to have Mr. Cherfi's deportation to the U.S. overturned.
Canadian immigration officials deny claims that Mr. Cherfi faces life-threatening risks if he returns to Algeria. A spokesman for the Canadian Border Service Agency, Robert Gervais, noted that the risks were properly assessed, that Mr. Cherfi has been collecting welfare during most of his six years in Quebec, and that he did not meet the immigration selection criteria set by both the federal and Quebec governments.
"There are no Canadian laws that forbids us from arresting someone in a place of [worship]," Mr. Gervais said. "We never said we would not intervene in a church to arrest someone. Each case is dealt with individually."
The Quebec and federal ministers responsible for immigration have yet to publicly comment on Mr. Cherfi's case. During a demonstration in Quebec City on Sunday, both the Bloc Québécois and the Parti Québécois promised to intervene on Mr. Cherfi's behalf as the opposition parties take his case to the House of Commons as well as to the National Assembly, which reconvenes today for the spring session.
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