Groups representing immigrants, people with precarious status, rights groups and labor organizations united on Tuesday to reiterate their demand to regularize the status of undocumented immigrants more quickly.
During a meeting with the press in Montreal, in front of a banner on which was written “status for all”, these groups once again demanded that the federal government go beyond public declarations and quickly implement such a program to stabilize the situation of these people.
These groups, such as Solidarity Across Borders, the Immigrant Workers Center and Amnesty International Canada Francophone, are calling in the same breath for an end to detentions and deportations.
In the meantime, they claim that many of these people live from labor exploitation and see many of their rights violated, such as those to be treated or to find housing.
“We need to review our immigration system so that human rights are at the heart,” said Marisa Berry Méndez, campaign manager at Amnesty International Canada Francophone.
These undocumented people are “mostly isolated, helpless in the face of bureaucracy,” testified Cheney Cortes, member of Migrante Quebec.
“Since the start of the pandemic, the government has given a lot of importance to temporary immigration. For what ? To be able to help our elders, our sick people. We had people who came here to lend a hand, immigrants who are still here, and who unfortunately, once their immigration permit ends, the government abandons them, ”lamented the president of the FTQ, Magali Picard. , present at the press conference.
In fact, “we are unable to assist all people with precarious status who request our services,” reported immigration lawyer Annick Legault, from the Clinic for Migrant Justice.
These groups claim to have witnessed an increase, in recent weeks, in the number of letters of removal and deportations of people who have lost their immigration status.