Based in Quebec, where he has rebuilt his life for more than four years, a 56-year-old Mexican is now threatened with deportation by the Canada Border Services Agency and fears that he will be found by a cartel if he is returned in his country.
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“Having a gun to your head is not like in the movies. It eats you up inside, it makes you paranoid. I no longer knew where to go or what to do, ”says Jose Carrera, a tremolo in his voice, referring to the sequestration he experienced.
The man was working as a translator for oil company Pemex when he says he was approached by the Jalisco New Generation cartel in 2014.
The members of the cartel would then have sequestered him, threatening him and his family if he did not act in their favor with those in charge of the oil rigs.
A few months later, they allegedly robbed his house, tying up his sister and her children, while pointing a gun at them during the robbery.
After moving to avoid the cartel, Mr. Carrera turned to Quebec to start a new life there, in 2018.
He worked as a mover, before being hired by Sani-Terre as a vacuum cleaner, who also offered him a two-year contract a few weeks ago. He even managed to find “the woman of his life”.
“What I like the most here is the absence of violence. People are friendly, they thank you for what you do. I’m just happy, ”says the man.
But now he will have to leave behind the life he has always dreamed of, threatened with expulsion on November 27th.
No serious risk?
It is because the tribunal responsible for analyzing his application for refugee status considers that his application for asylum is not credible.
“The tribunal finds that the applicant has not established that there is a serious possibility of persecution […] or that he would be personally at risk of being subjected to torture, or a threat to his life […] if he were to return to Mexico,” reads the decision by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
“Should I have had a bullet in the head to have enough evidence? All I want is to live a peaceful and normal life,” complains Mr. Carrera.
Application for stay
He and his spouse got married in the last few weeks, in order to be able to apply for sponsorship and thus obtain permanent residence. But the marriage certificate is late in being sent and time is running out.
“The labor shortage is stronger than the urgency of deporting this man,” said lawyer Maxime Lapointe, in charge of the case, who recommended that they contact Federal MP Gérard Deltell.
“Border services need to use more flexibility in enforcement by weighing regularization options. Everyone loses if Canada deports a worker. A general stay of dismissals is necessary,” adds Me Lapointe.