Please take a moment to sign the following petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/littleboysbestfriend/ and join the “Keep a Boy’s Best Friend in Canada” Facebook group to let the Haziraj family stay in Canada (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69407246332). Please also consider sending an email to Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration (Minister at cic.gc.ca & kennej at parl.gc.ca) asking that the family be granted status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Please CC your email to lethazirajfamilystay at gmail.com

The petition was started by six year old Engjell Haziraj’s kindergarden classmates to prevent the deportation of the Haziraj family back to Kosovo. The family’s other child, three year old Canadian-born daughter Gjina is in need of expert medical care to treat a sensitive heart condition. In the meantime, the father, Zeqir has been detained by Canadian immigration authorities since March 11th on the pretext that he constitutes a ‘flight risk’ if a deportation ruling is ordered. This leaves Abresa Hassanaj on her own to care for both her children with the looming threat of deportation.

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This Sunday, 41 workers will be handcuffed, dragged to an airport and placed on a plane to Thailand. They were arrested with dozens of others on their way to work or while packing food at Cericola Farms, in southwestern Ontario last week. Many of the workers were held at gun point. CBSA then lied to them and tricked them into waiving their legal rights. This is a targeted attack by the Tory government against migrants. Minister Van Loan can stop these deportations; Minister Kenney can grant them status.

YOU can insist that they do so.

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On April 9th, approximately 30 people gathered in Vancouver for an emergency press conference to condemn the unprecedented raids of non-status workers in Southern Ontario. Members of No One Is Illegal, Siklab Filipino Overseas Workers, Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, Iranian Federation of Refugees, Justicia for Migrant Workers, CIPO, and allies then took their message straight into CBSA offices, despite multiple security attempts to stop the delegation. CBSA insisted that the delegation return with an ‘appointment’ and threatened to call the police, but the delegation remained and briefly occupied the front offices – chanting and dencouncing the violence and brutality of the recent raids, sending a clear message that we are outraged and angered – that we will not remain silent as hundreds of non-status and migrant workers are being brutalized – that we will stand now before these raids escalate across the country.

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As you all know there has been unprecedented raids of non-status workers in Southern Ontario. CBSA is boasting this as one of their largest enforcement operations in Canadian history. Approximately 100 people are still in detention, primarily in the Greater Toronto Area district. Our allies in Toronto have requested urgent national responses to send a clear message that we are outraged and angered – that we will not remain silent as hundreds of non-status and migrant workers are being brutalized -that we will stand now before these raids escalate across the country. Actions have occured in Toronto, Edmonton, with more planned in Montreal and elsewhere.

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Apr 8 2009. Rabble.ca

Nearly 200 outraged community and labour activists rattled the fences of Rexdale Immigration Detention Centre on April 5, demanding the release of over 100 undocumented workers arrested during unprecedented immigration raids across southwestern Ontario. Chanting ‘No One Is Illegal! Stop deporting people,’ ‘We didn’t cross the borders, the borders crossed us’ and ’Justice for migrant workers,’ teachers, lawyers and organizers from OSSTF D12, Parkdale Legal Community Services, Mujeres Al Frente, the Sikh Activist Network, the Good Jobs Coalition, CUPE, UFCW, CAW, OPSEU and many others joined family members and friends on Sunday morning. Organized by No One is Illegal-Toronto, Migrante Ontario and Justicia for Migrant Workers, the spirited action was in response to three separate but coordinated attacks against undocumented communities.

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