Arrived in Quebec three years ago, a couple of Colombian police officers and their family beg Canada not to deport them, because they say they have received death threats from a terrorist group involved with drug traffickers from their country.
“I fear for my life, that of my unborn child and that of my loved ones. We are no longer safe there, ”says Lineth Bohorquez, visibly upset, in her mother tongue.
She and her husband, Benito Zarrazola, fled Colombia with Mrs. Bohorquez’s brother, sister and niece – Dayron-Felipe, Lina and Daniela – due to armed conflicts within the country.
Police officers by profession, they would have received numerous death threats from the National Liberation Army (ELN), a terrorist rebel group involved with drug traffickers in Colombia.
Not believable enough?
But it was threats made directly to the school of young Daniela, 11, whose father is a soldier, that were the straw that broke the camel’s back, explains Ms. Bohorquez.
“It had become too intense, sighs the future mother of 30 years. It’s one thing to target adults, but it’s another thing to target children. »
In 2019, the family therefore applied for asylum from the Canadian government to obtain the status of “protected persons”, before settling in Quebec.
Two years later, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) summoned them to a hearing to hear their testimony.
The latter, however, would have rejected their request, because of the lack of credibility and inconsistencies in their remarks, it is indicated.
“We don’t tell stories! Several of my brothers and uncles, who were also police officers, were murdered,” plague Lineth Bohorquez.
Being part of Quebec society
They have since appealed to the Refugee Appeal Division and are still awaiting a response. As a last resort, they will take steps to apply for humanitarian and compassionate considerations.
“We do everything we need to fit in here. We learn French, we pay taxes, we make friends… We want to be part of Quebec society in its own right,” says Benito Zarrazola.
The family implores the Government of Canada to reconsider their case and give them a chance to build a new life in safety, far from the conflicts of Colombia.
“I’m happy here and I’ve made a lot of friends. I don’t want to go back there, ”said little Daniela in almost impeccable French, after three years of learning.