Immigration Canada Threatens to Ignore Court Order: Deport Mom to Nigeria and force 2 year old into foster care.

Dorothy Igharo, a failed Refugee claimant who fled Nigeria 7 years ago, is being threatened with deportation, despite an order from the Family Court giving her full custody of her two year old daughter, Precious, and forbidding the child from being removed from Ontario as it would be against her best interests.

In 1995 Dorothy claimed Refugee status on the basis that she had been gang raped and beaten in retribution for her uncles political activity in Nigeria. Although the Immigration and Refugee Board accepted her Doctors evidence that she had been subjected to severe physical trauma, her claim was still rejected.

Unable to return to Nigeria, Dorothy has made a life here and is trying to gain status on Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds. She has been granted full custody of her 2 year old daughter (who has no other family in Canada) and an interim order from the Family Court orbidding the child from being removed from Ontario as this would be against her best interests depriving her of any possible relationship or support from her father and forcing her to face hardship including the imminent possibility of being subjected to female circumcision in Nigeria. Dorothy is a victim of female circumcision and is very strongly against the practice.

Despite this, and knowing that Precious father cannot be found, Deportation Officer J. Atkinson is threatening to deport Dorothy, forcing her daughter into foster care. In fact, Immigration Canada has issued an internal memo to all Deportation Officers telling them that they can pursue deportation of any non-status parent whose child has a non-removal order from Canada. This is another bitter reminder of the Liberal governments crackdown on Immigrants and Refugees and its utter disregard for their well-being.

The Liberal government talks about re-unifying Immigrant families while quietly tearing families apart. OCAP is putting the Minister of Immigration on notice: We will do whatever it takes to support Dorothys struggle to gain full status in Canada. As an anti-poverty organization we cannot tolerate the exploitation and expulsion of ndocumented workers living in Canada and are united with groups internationally fighting under the banner that No One is Illegal.

For more information contact: Sarah Vance (OCAP): (416)806-4983
Sheilagh OConnell (Family Law Office):(416) 348-0001

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Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
517 College Street, Suite 234 Toronto, Ontario M5G 4A2
416-925-6939 o...@tao.ca www.ocap.ca
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