Rally held for Montreal family on eve of deportation to Mexico

A rally was held Thursday in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in support of a Montreal couple and their three children on the eve of their deportation.

The event was École Saint-Clément where the family's three children are enrolled.

The family has an order to be out of the country by 7 a.m. Friday. They have been living in Quebec since fleeing Mexico in 2018 out of fear of violence from drug cartels.

Rally organizers have received more than 2,000 signatures on a petition pleading for them to stay.

"If people are doing well here in Canada, Montreal, Hochelaga, why do they have to be out just for a simple question of papers? For me, it's not relevant," said Leonardo Munoz, who helped organize the rally. "It's how those people can have a full potential and participate in the society of Quebec."

Norma Quintana said it's a difficult situation, especially for her daughter.

"She's a very stressed person. It's difficult for her. She doesn't really understand what's happened and the situation," she said. "It's difficult for the whole family."

For Quintana, staying in Canada is a matter of life or death.