Adrian Dix said British Columbians have relied on workers like Claudia Zamorano throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “After years of helping keep BC families safe in their time of need, we owe it to the Zamorano family to keep them safe and strongly urge the federal government to suspend their deportation,” a statement from Dix’s office said. Zamorano and her family say they fled Mexico nearly five years ago after receiving death threats from organized crime groups in the west coast city of Colima. “It’s hard for us because we’re afraid to die,” Zamorano said of the danger she felt in Mexico. “I have to sleep with a knife under my bed.” Claudia Zamorano, 27, with her husband and now nine-year-old daughter came to British Columbia from Mexico in 2017. (Submitted by Claudia Zamorano) She came to Canada with her husband and daughter, now nine years old, along with her husband’s mother and brother. The 27-year-old works full-time as a housekeeper in the COVID-19 ward at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, while her husband Andres, also 27, works as a carpenter. “I want to contribute to this country, that’s why I’m there,” Zamorano said. Zamorano said her mother-in-law volunteers her time making meals for people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and the family is trying to get on with life in BC, despite the stress and anxiety of not knowing if they will stay here. “Our mental health is an issue right now,” he said. “It’s been so hard, but we’re here fighting.”
The deportation was scheduled days before Christmas
The family applied for permanent residency in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds a year ago, but Zamorano says the application has yet to be processed. Meanwhile, she told CBC News that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has issued a removal order for her and her family for Dec. 19. “When we were at the CBSA interview, I [was] I think about my daughter … as a mom and I told her, for my daughter it’s going to be a shock … to tell her we have to leave in December,” Zamorano said. “I explained to the officer if it’s possible to deport us in January and have Christmas in Canada? And he said, ‘no’.” Claudia Zamorano dons PPE for her job as a housekeeper at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster in this undated photo. (Submitted by Claudia Zamorano) The family also tried to stay in Canada under a federal refugee program that provides direct patient care, but as a housekeeper, he didn’t qualify. Omar Chu of the immigrant advocacy group Sanctuary Health says Zamorano and her family are one of many examples of people who came to Canada seeking safety and are now contributing to their communities despite not having official status. “This family came to flee to save their lives,” Chu said. “People don’t come here for these types of situations unless they’re really scared for their lives. The stress the system has put on them has been cruel and unnecessary. We need a better system.” The federal government is working on a program that could offer a path to permanent residency for up to 500,000 immigrants who work in Canada despite not having official status. Zamorano is a member of the Hospital Workers Union, which she says plays an important role in hospital infection control. “It’s a scary job, but women like Claudia did the best they could,” union spokesman Mike Old said. “It just seems wrong that we would turn our backs on Claudia now. We need to keep every essential health care worker on the job, and that includes Claudia.” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to questions from CBC News about Zamorano and her family.
