Zain Haq, a British Columbia climate activist, faces imminent deportation to Pakistan unless Immigration Minister Marc Miller intervenes. Haq's spousal application for permanent residency was derailed due to a bureaucratic error, leaving him vulnerable to removal.
Zain Haq , a British Columbia climate activist facing deportation from Canada , may still be allowed to remain in the country if Immigration Minister Marc Miller intervenes. Otherwise, Haq is preparing to be returned to Pakistan on Sunday. Haq stated Saturday morning that he was packing his bags and planning to report to the Vancouver airport in the evening, believing his removal from Canada was 'certain' without ministerial intervention.
His wife, Sophia Papp, is actively trying to secure a ministerial intervention, as this is the only place she knows and the only place they've had a life together. Haq, who initially came to Canada on a student visa, is scheduled to catch a flight to Toronto before being sent back to Pakistan. This follows the Federal Court of Canada's dismissal of a last-ditch effort to delay his removal on Thursday. He and Papp woke up in 'disbelief' facing the prospect of being forced out of the country after what the couple describes as a bureaucratic error derailed a spousal application for his permanent residency. Unless they receive word to the contrary, it appears the deportation will likely occur, which is 'really devastating,' Papp said. 'Our lives are put on hold and I feel like I'm losing half of myself.' The couple has been left to essentially 'beg' Immigration Minister Marc Miller to stop the deportation, after Haq was granted a ministerial stay that temporarily allowed him to stay last spring. A representative from the minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.Haq, who co-founded the activist group Save Old Growth as an international student, pleaded guilty to five charges of mischief in 2023 for his involvement in environmental protests that blocked roadways in 2021 and 2022. He was granted a temporary permit to stay in Canada last April, but Haq said his application to remain on humanitarian and compassionate grounds was denied despite his offences being non-violent and him and Papp posing no risk to public safety. Haq and his legal representative, Randall Cohn, remain hopeful for Miller to halt the deportation. Cohn stated on Saturday that an intervention was still a possibility. 'Certainly in other matters that I have been involved in, their decision to do that has happened at the 11th hour,' Cohn said. He added that he's had clients in the past who found out their removal was cancelled while riding in 'an Uber to the airport.' 'The chances of it happening of course diminish with every moment,' he said. Cohn acknowledged that the chances of the minister intervening on a weekend were low, and parliament is currently not in session. However, he said Miller has received a 'significant' amount of information from supporters of Haq.One of those supporters is environmentalist Tzeporah Berman, who has known Haq for several years and believes his climate activism is crucial at a 'critical moment in history where we have such a polarized debate on climate change.' 'Canada's, you know, supposed to be a place where peaceful dissent and advocacy are protected and not punished,' she said in an interview Saturday. 'There are certainly those in the government that don't like how outspoken he has been or how successful his organizing has been in raising awareness of bad policies and bad decisions.' Haq stated that he has family in Pakistan, but he has lived in Canada for several years. His wife is a Canadian citizen, and he said he is also close with her family. He feels that his deportation is like being 'split into half.' 'I am hoping that there will be an intervention, but I am obligated to report to the airport tonight unless anything happens and I'm told that it's off,' he said. 'So I am preparing to do that. I am packing my bag in accordance with that. But you know, if there's an intervention, we would be very relieved.
Climate Activist Deportation Canada Pakistan Immigration Marc Miller Zain Haq Sophia Papp Save Old Growth
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