This Hamilton family from Colombia reunited after two years apart this past Christmas. Now they’re set to be separated again

Colombian refugees Andrea Pardo Rodriguez and her husband Nelson Martinez Mora built a life for themselves in Hamilton and, after two long years apart, their three adult daughters had finally joined them.

They were able to visit Niagara Falls, celebrate Christmas with matching pyjamas, and catch up on lost time.

But all of that was interrupted Sunday morning by a pounding on their apartment door.

The family of five hadn't even woken up yet. Sundays are typically reserved for rest and spending time together.

Still sleepy-eyed and in their pyjamas, the family opened the door to find a handful of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers standing in the hallway of their Corktown building.

The officers told them they were there to detain Pardo Rodriguez and Martinez Mora, who had come to Canada as refugee claimants from Colombia in November 2021.

Minutes later, they were taken away in handcuffs and the girls - Valentina, Camila and Yesica Martinez Pardo - were left with a receipt saying their parents were being transported to the immigration holding centre in Toronto, said Valentina, 22, in an interview with The Spectator through a Spanish interpreter.

It was a very intense experience," said Valentina. We're very afraid of being torn apart again."

The couple is now set to be deported on March 26, according to friends of the family.

The family of five had reunited this past Christmas after spending more than two years apart, said Cynthia Belaskie, a close family friend.

Belaskie said Martinez Mora and Pardo Rodriguez fled Colombia in the face of death threats made against them in 2020 by the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), a paramilitary group considered to be the country's biggest drug cartel also known as the Gulf Clan. She said the threats were made because of the couple's advocacy work with thousands of Colombians who live with disabilities.

Human Rights Watch has alleged the AGC continues to commit violations of the laws of war and serious human rights abuses including killings, disappearances, and rape." That same report noted that more than 500 human rights defenders have been killed across Colombia since 2016.

At that time, the couple was only able to obtain visitor visas to the United States for themselves, so their three daughters - including one who lives with disabilities - stayed behind in Bogota and went into hiding, said Belaskie.

Martinez Mora and Pardo Rodriguez later came up to Canada, where they claimed asylum, and eventually landed in Hamilton.

Belaskie said since moving to Steeltown, Martinez Mora had been working in renovations, while Pardo Rodriguez was taking English classes and helping him at work.

They all met when Belaskie hired Martinez Mora to do some renovations on their home and Pardo Rodriguez came along to assist. Their friendship formed over cups of coffee and Belaskie began helping them with their refugee claim.

However, Belaskie said the claim was denied last August, despite testimony from Pardo Rodriguez that detailed threats and potential harms their family was facing in Colombia.

The Spectator reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and is awaiting a response.

In a decision letter shared with The Spectator, a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada determined the couple failed to establish that they face a well-rounded fear of persecution if they return to Colombia," pointing to discrepancies in their paperwork and testimony.

Belaskie argues Pardo Rodriguez wasn't prepared for the hearing, and the family believed they had more time to stay in Canada despite the denial.

The family then submitted a humanitarian and compassionate grounds claim in February, but it had to be redone in March due to errors in the original paperwork, Belaskie said. Their lawyer also submitted a deferral for their removal request on their behalf on Tuesday.

The Spectator reached out to the family's lawyer Wednesday, but did not receive a response.

Now with the parents set to be deported, Belaskie and family friend Megan Evans are doing whatever they can to ensure the family can stay together in Canada.

Belaskie described Martinez Mora as the breadwinner" of the family and, with him gone, the daughters will only have whatever income they receive from the government as refugees as they wait for their asylum claim to be heard.

Their claim is separate from their parents' as they only arrived in Canada in December, noted Belaskie. However, the situation is made much more difficult as their daughter Camila lives with both intellectual as well as physical disabilities.

The 26-year-old is visually impaired and requires around-the-clock care from the family, more specifically their mother, who is her primary caregiver, said Valentina.

While the girls were in hiding in Bogota, they took care of each other, but Valentina noted it was difficult, as Camila didn't understand" why she had been separated from her mother.

However, the girls managed to get to Canada this past Christmas - a journey that saw them fly to Mexico, make their way across the United States and eventually arrive in Canada through an irregular crossing in Quebec.

The journey was difficult," said Valentina. But we were very happy to see our parents."

Since then, the five of them have been living in a one-bedroom apartment in central Hamilton. They were taking English classes and Camila had also settled into a routine with her mother and was receiving some care in Hamilton.

But that has since been disrupted by the looming deportation of their parents, said Belaskie.

We're feeling really afraid," said Valentina, with tears in her eyes. We've never faced problems this big before."

In a statement to The Spectator, CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said the agency could not comment on individual cases, but noted they have a legal obligation to extradite foreign nationals who have a removal order in force.

The decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly," Purdy said in an email.

However, once a person's humanitarian and compassionate grounds application is submitted, an immigration officer can grant a Stage 1 approval, which would put their removal on hold, she noted.

While the girls were able to visit their parents at the detention centre Sunday evening, their conversation was over the phone, with a pane of glass dividing them.

Their next visit is set for Friday - two days before their parents may be deported and once again separated as a family.

It was really difficult visiting them," said Valentina. My mom and dad are not bad people."

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com