Indian Family Deported from Canada After Refugee Claims Rejected
An Indian family of four, who had spent over eight years in Quebec, Canada, has been deported after their refugee claim and humanitarian appeals to remain in the country were rejected.
The family, comprising Harish Kumar, his wife Sonika, and their two sons, Japesh (14) and Gaulash (12), arrived in India by flight on September 7.
Harish had fled to Canada in April 2018 to seek asylum out of fear for his life after he allegedly refused demands for money made by certain political factions during an election campaign in his hometown of Goraya, Punjab. He was illegally arrested over a fabricated dispute and later managed to escape to Canada.
The Immigrant Workers Centre has condemned the deportation, highlighting that Harish worked continuously as a truck driver during the COVID-19 pandemic and was hailed as an 'essential worker' when Canada's economy needed their labour.
According to the centre, this exemplifies the cruelty of an immigration system that treats migrant workers' lives as temporary and disposable.