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Nigerian family in Montreal threatened with deportation obtains ministerial reprieve

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Defenders of a Montreal family fighting deportation to Nigeria say they have obtained temporary permission to remain in Canada.

Québec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard said Tuesday that an April 5 deportation order had been cancelled for Deborah Adegboye, her husband and their children.

Cliche-Rivard, who is also an immigration lawyer, said federal officials have granted the family a temporary resident permit that will allow them to remain in the country while they pursue their application for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds.

 Adegboye and her husband arrived in Quebec in 2017 from Nigeria with their first child as asylum seekers, via the now-closed Roxham Road. The family was fleeing what they described as religious persecution by a dangerous Nigerian sect.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Adegboye and her husband have been working as orderlies to provide care for vulnerable patients, while adding two more children to their family.

A spokesperson for the Welcome Collective, who helped organize a rally in support of the family last week, said Adegboye and her family were delighted and relieved to be able to stay in the country.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 2, 2024.
 

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