Immigration and Refugee Board

Bodies lie in a ditch in rural Mexico, as police look on. Photo by Tomas Bravo/Reuters

Canada deports Mexico's drug-war refugees, with deadly consequences

Thousands of Mexicans seek refuge from their country’s gruesome drug wars, but Canada has slammed the door. For some, deportation has been a death sentence The first of Juan Escobedo’s many trials began in 2007 when his common-law wife, Lisbeth, then just 31, was diagnosed with cancer. The couple had four children and little money…. More »

Abdelkader Belaouni hasn't left the grounds of St. Gabriel's Church in Montreal in more than three years. Illustration by Todd Julie.

Gimme Shelter: refugees who found sanctuary in Canadian churches

Three Canadian church congregations stood up to Immigration Canada and the police to save the lives of refugees in peril. Some say they should butt out. In 1990, Felicia Abimbola Akinwalere (“Ola” to her friends) arrived in Toronto from Nigeria on a temporary visa to visit family. During that vacation, her husband took part in… More »