It was a sad day for North Dundas last week when the word got out that the Chavez family – a mom, dad and three young sons – was deported to Mexico after their application to remain in Canada was denied. The family consists of Ramon Chavez, wife Andrea, and sons, Uriel, 12, Said, 7, and Andrew, 1. They were true neighbours to their fellow Chesterville residents.
The family had every reason to seek the refuge of Canada. At their former home in Mexico, a drug cartel was demanding large payments from the profits of their small shoe store business. They decided to shut the business down and live a simpler life, attempting to survive only off Ramon’s employment wages as a field worker. When the cartel would not back off, and the Mexican police could not help, Ramon came to Canada in 2018 and set up roots for his family here.
Andrea did her best in Mexico, attempting to fly under the radar by selling shoes directly to her former customers. In 2021, in was time for her and the boys to join Ramon in Canada. In Chesterville, the family fit right in. Uriel and Said attended St. Mary’s Catholic School for several years. They learned to fluently speak English in school, and played with the local North Dundas United Soccer Club. They had many friends here in North Dundas – a place that was as much their home as it is ours.
Ramon and Andrea were supporting themselves and their children with construction jobs before their work permits were revoked. They may not have dotted every I and crossed every T in their move to Canada, but it’s hard to blame them for not executing their move perfectly when under such duress. The family had years to show that they belonged and flourished here, and that (as many locals have put it), they are the type of immigrants Canada needs.
The family has already been flown back to Mexico. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada refused to accept that they qualified as refugees due to a claim that the family had a safe place within Mexico to which they could relocate. Even if there is any safe place for the family in Mexico after thwarting the extortion attempts of a powerful drug cartel, it’s clear that Mexico is no longer the Chavez’s home.
Teachers at St. Mary’s Catholic School and its associated Catholic Church raised money for the family’s legal fees. The community rallied around the Chavez’s in every sense of the word. It was a great loss for North Dundas to see them go.
Readers can encourage a reversal of the decision by reaching out to Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, at Marc.Miller@parl.gc.ca or by contacting our local MP, Eric Duncan to help forward their concerns to the appropriate officials. It’s not too late – let’s try and bring our neighbours home!