The families, both with young children, have been in the public eye in recent weeks with concerns about safety should they have to return to their home countries.
Luis Ubado Nolasco, Cynthia Carrasco Campos and their eight- and nine-year-old daughters were supposed to be on a flight to Mexico on Monday.
The family fled to Canada in 2018 and sought refugee protection after a family member was murdered. The government rejected their residency applications and they were ordered to leave the country.
But the couple says that on Saturday, they met with Edmonton Central MP and federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonneau, who told them their deportation had stopped and they didn’t have to leave.
“I fell to the floor. I cried a lot,” Ubado Nolasco said Monday.
Carrasco Campos added that they are grateful to everyone who stepped in to offer support.
“I appreciate their help for me and my family. It’s… good news. Yes. I feel good,” he said.
The couple said they have confirmed with the CBSA that their deportation is on hold for now, but said they are now waiting to hear more information. CBC News has asked the CBSA for comment on the case.
2nd deportation pending
The scheduled July 8 deportation of Evangeline Cayanan, whose six-year-old Canadian daughter, McKenna, would be forced to go on her back to the Philippines, is also on hold, Cayanan’s lawyer confirmed Sunday. Cayanan came to Canada in 2010 as a temporary foreign worker. She claims she became undocumented after reporting two employers for alleged abuse. After the birth of her daughter, she raised her alone and became an activist. She won an award from the John Humphrey Center for Peace and Human Rights for her work fighting for access to health care for children of undocumented parents. Cayanan also volunteers with Migrante Alberta, supporting migrant workers.
Rally of supporters
Immigrant Canada and its Alberta chapter are supporting Cayanan and his family. Both families have been in contact with Boissonnault’s office in recent weeks. “To say this has been a stressful time for the Nolasco family is an understatement,” Boissonnault said in a statement Monday. “Thanks to our team working quickly with Immigration Canada, the family and their children will remain in Canada and in our community. Today is a good day.” Boissonnault confirmed that he has also met with Cayanan and is working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, but said he could not comment further on this case due to privacy concerns.
Applications to remain pending
Both families have applied to the federal government for leave to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Cayanan argued that in the Philippines, her daughter would not have access to health care services that she currently receives in Canada. Kayanan also fears reprisals for her activism and public criticism of the country’s government if she were to return. Ubado Nolasco and his family submitted evidence that they would be in danger if they returned to Mexico. After his brother’s murder in 2018, Ubado Nolasco began receiving threats and demands for money from an unknown person or group. The homicide remains unsolved. Speaking to the CBC on Monday, the family was trying to find a new place to live and clean out the apartment they lived in before the deportation. The CBSA asked them to prepare to leave, so many of their belongings had already been delivered and they had made arrangements to move out of their current location. Both parents work — Ubando Nolasco as a welder and Carrasco Campos in web design. They say they have been able to keep their jobs now that they are staying. As tumultuous and emotional as the past few weeks have been, Ubado Nolasco said the family said overall they are relieved. “We need to settle in a new place to create a new adventure for our family and start fresh,” he said.
