He’s been denied permanent residency in Canada, and now Jose Figueroa is seeking sanctuary at Walnut Grove Lutheran Church in Langley.
Figueroa was denied residency because he was once a student member of the FMLN in the 1980s, an organization considered to be a terrorist group.
Figueroa, politicians and scholars have come forward saying the FMLN was attempting to overthrow a bloody military dictatorship, and it’s now recognized as the democratically elected government.
“All this time we have been complying with requests from CBSA. At this point, the only way to protect my family and to continue fighting for their rights is if I am still in Canada and once I’m out of Canada, my file will end up at the bottom of a huge pile of other cases,” says Figueroa.
He’s not the first person to seek sanctuary in Metro Vancouver.
Iranian refugee Amir Kazemian lived in constant fear for three years at St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Vancouver before he was granted permission to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Mikhail Lennikov, a former KGB agent, has been staying at First Lutheran Church in Vancouver for four years.
Meanwhile, Figueroa, his wife and three Canadian born children are now living in constant fear their family could soon be torn apart.
Figueroa says he has until the end of the month and then he will most likely be ordered to leave the country.
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