Langley resident José Figueroa and his son José Ivan have arrived in Ottawa,carrying “We Are Jose” flags and a rolled-up billboard-sized painting that dramatizes his battle to remain in Canada.
In the nation’s capital, they hope to hand a 1,200-word petition and letters of support to Canadian government ministers and the El Salvadoran embassy.
En route, father and son have been making public appearances to urge the government to intervene and overturn the order deporting him back his native El Salvador.
In Regina, the younger Figueroa addressed an estimated crowd of 400 people at a church.
Father and son have also done several radio interviews.
“We have accomplished so much,” Figueroa said. “I have made many contacts … talked to hundreds of people on the street.”
Figueroa, who has lived in Langley for 13 years with his wife and three Canadian-born children, was ordered deported from Canada because of his involvement as a student with the left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) during the civil war in El Salvador.
He been told it will be seven to nine years before there is a ruling on his application to the ministry of public safety for “ministerial relief” that would allow him to remain in Canada.
