Canada05 September, 20262 min read
Migrant Rights Network Urges Canada And Alberta To Halt Deportation Of 10 International Students
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Ten international students targeted for enforcement at a protest in Canada. Coalition near 300 labor and community groups urged federal and Alberta governments to halt deportations.
Deportations after Calgary protest
A coalition of close to 300 labour and community groups is calling on the federal and Alberta governments to halt the removal of 10 international students it says were singled out for enforcement at a protest in Calgary tied to Portage College graduates.
The Migrant Rights Network says the Aug. 12 protest was triggered after police were called on a complaint that protesters were blocking a sidewalk, and Calgary police said officers went to the scene, asked for identification, and called the Canadian Border Services Agency with concerns.
The border agency said its officers were called in to check if demonstrators were non-compliant under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and it interviewed 12 of them before Network spokesman Syed Hussan said the number was narrowed to 10 by the day’s end and those found non-compliant were given exclusion orders.
Hussan said the students were promised—then unfairly denied—the work permits, while Alberta Immigration Minister Joseph Schow said, “Anyone who comes to Canada on a temporary status needs to return home once their permit is expired,” and that position “isn’t going to change.”
Charter rights and competing claims
The Migrant Rights Network letter argues that targeting newcomers for enforcement while they’re protesting immigration rules violates the Charter right of free speech and will have a chilling effect, warning that “joining the next protest, picket line or public meeting could put their ability to remain in Canada at risk.” In response, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said in an e-mail that there had been no changes to eligibility criteria for the post-graduation work permit program but that the government updated its web page in June to clarify existing requirements.
The letter also calls for the post-graduation work permits to be granted and for the actions of police and border officials that day to be investigated, while the border agency said it was “aware of and reviewing the letter issued today by civil society organizations.” Syed Hussan said the “freedom of expression is a Charter protected right” and that “that Charter-protected right was attacked,” framing the enforcement as a threat to peaceful assembly rather than a routine immigration matter.
Gurpreet Singh’s choice
One of the protesters, 29-year-old Gurpreet Singh, said he is trying to decide whether to fight his exclusion order or return to India after being denied a postgraduate work permit.
Singh said he had to quit his job after being denied a postgraduate work permit because he can’t work, and he told the press, “I’m just asking [for] what we were told before coming to Canada.”
The Globe and Mail reported that affected students began weeks of demonstrations starting in mid-July in Edmonton and Calgary, with the network saying the Aug. 12 protest in Calgary is what triggered its letter.
The same reporting said the network expects more demonstrations planned for Sept. 20, including in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa, while Schow reiterated that the rules are clear for anyone on temporary status whose permit is expired.