Posted on 03/26/2006 8:54:24 PM PST by Heartofsong83
Planeload of deportees flown to Portugal Updated Sun. Mar. 26 2006 11:38 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
There were tears at Pearson International Airport in Toronto as people said good-bye to friends and loved-ones being deported from Canada on Sunday.
After more than seven years in Canada, Maria Alves and her son have been told they must return to Portugal. It is a trip they don't want to make because they say their roots are in Canada.
"She has no words to explain," Alves son Rafael Belchior translated.
Through tears ,his aunt Laurinda Carrasqueira expressed her feelings of desperation.
"She said she can't do nothing to help us out," Belchior translated and then tried to comfort her by saying "don't cry" as they embraced.
Alves and Belchior are among a large group of illegal immigrants deported on Sunday afternoon.
Many were given only a few days notice to make preparations, pack their bags, and get rid of possessions they can't take on the flight to Lisbon.
"It's not fair," family friend Carla Dos Reis said, her voice trembling. "(They) didn't give her enough time to sell anything. She had to put everything in my house."
[b]A large number of the group being deported came to Canada over the last several years to meet the demands of a booming construction industry, particularly in Toronto.
Industry estimates say approximately 75 per cent of the workers are in this country illegally.[/b]
"If you have bought a new home or a new condo, you know that the waiting times getting a place just keep on getting longer and longer," Pedro Barata of the Portuguese National Congress said Sunday.
"I think that the more we deport people who are needed in the construction industry, the longer those waits are going to be."
[b]Some estimates hold that 15,000 people are working illegally in southern Ontario's construction and hospitality industries, and the Canada-wide figure is 300,000.[/b]
Immigration Canada said there will not be an amnesty. The federal agency said they have a legal duty to remove people who have come to this country without following the proper procedures.
Many in the group deported Sunday say they will try to return to Canada and resume the lives they have built.
"Shame on the Canadian government for deporting people who are working hard. We need those people here," Barata said.
"We have an obligation to the hundreds of thousands of people who play by the rules," Immigration and Citizenship Minister Monte Solberg said Sunday on CTV's Question Period.
I wonder if some of them went across the US border after starting in Mexico?
It's not fair. SNORT. Life isn't fair, especially when you break the law.
Sympathy? Not here.
Foe every illegal, there are dozens waiting patiently to do the process legally. My sympathy is reserved for them. And for us, we who have to pay the price in so many ways.
Good riddance!
Here's an idea. We can't do what Canada is doing since our illegal alien population is more than the total population of Portugal, but we have millions of illegal aliens who want to work, and France has millions of unassimilated North Africans who don't want to work. We could send our illegals to France to do the work the Algerians won't do.
Shame on you, Pedro, for supporting and encouraging criminal behavior.
Would you feel as cavalierly about my moving to portugal (assuming I wanted to) without the proper papers?
This makes our US government look very lame. If we had more politicians (other than Tancredo) that would state that America has an obligation to the millions of people who play by the rules, and even a hint of support from the executive branch; it would be refreshing.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
There, I fixed it for you. That's the word you were really wanting to use. LOL
ping
Memo to Immigration Canada,
Please call George Bush and explain this to him.
Far cry from what it was under the old Liberal government - they would have all been granted amnesty, citizenship and a Liberal membership card.
Wow, a man who appreciates being corrected. LOL I better print this off and keep it. I'll probably never see that again. ;o)
Yeah, now we need a conservative government.
"She has no words to explain," Alves son Rafael Belchior translated.
Yeah, right. 7 years and no English. She did not want to stay to long.
Selective deportation to look tough!
Ohhh, poor babies. Suck it up. If you're there (or here) illegally, expect to meet reality someday in the form of deportation. I'm not surprised at their spoiled, pampered reaction as much as the fact that Canada actually did this. When are we going to follow suit? It can't be soon enough in my book.
Well, if they were playing by the rules, they wouldn't be illegal, would they?
What am I missing?
Get ready for an ABSOLUTE FLOOD of these tear-jerker pieces in the press, and how it's a violation of thier "Human Rights"....
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