People supporting a Montreal family in their deportation fight to Nigeria say the family has received temporary permission to stay in Canada.
Deborah Adegboye, her husband, and their children had a deportation order for April 5 cancelled, as per Quebec legislature member Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
Cliche-Rivard, an immigration lawyer and member of the Quebec legislature, stated that the family has been given a temporary residence permit by federal immigration officials. This permit allows them to stay in Canada while they apply for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds.
Adegboye and her husband sought asylum in Quebec from Nigeria in 2017 with their first child, fleeing religious persecution by a dangerous Nigerian cult at the now-closed Roxham Road crossing.
Since 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Adegboye and her husband have been working as orderlies providing health care to vulnerable patients, and have added two more children to their family.
The Welcome Collective, which helped arrange a rally in support of the family, reports that Adegboye and her family are extremely happy and relieved to be allowed to stay.
The office of federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cliche-Rivard, in a phone interview, expressed that he believes the immigration minister made the right decision in granting the family a reprieve.
Cliche-Rivard, a member of the opposition Québec solidaire party, stated, “These are people who are making an exceptional contribution. Both are patient attendants for very vulnerable people. Their children are educated in French, and they’ve been here since 2017.”
He expressed contentment with the decision, but also highlighted the need for programs that quickly offer permanent status to immigrants in essential roles.
He remarked, “It’s a bit a failure of the system that it got this far.”
Maryse Poisson of the Welcome Collective mentioned speaking with the family and reported their relief in being able to stay.
Poisson also voiced concern for other families facing deportation without receiving the same attention as this family.
