A Kenyan man facing deportation fears his life will be in danger if Canada sends him back in four days.
Charles Mwangi, 48, arrived in search of safety, fleeing his home in Kenya because he is bisexual. On Wednesday, he and his supporters protested outside his local MP’s office to deliver a petition with 2,000 signatures and have a meeting about the imminent deportation in the hopes of stopping it.
“It’s something the government needs to consider. This is about life and death, we are talking about my life,” he told CTV News Toronto Wednesday.
The father of three claimed asylum in 2019 and worked on the front lines of the pandemic as a personal support worker, cook and cleaner, and made the Jane and Finch – Black Creek neighbourhood his home.
Mwangi said he fears persecution by his local Kenyan community if he returns. He said the Canadian government purchased a plane ticket for him to leave on Sunday, Aug. 25.
“We all believe Canada is a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people, but when you come here, things can be opposite because I don’t know how I can explain my sexuality to anybody,” Mwangi said.
Mwangi’s housemate, Rev. Susan Karanja, said she has watched him work hard over the years to support his family in Kenya and can’t accept seeing him leave.
“No, no this one will not go,” said Karanja getting emotional. “I have prayed about it, we have talked about it, we have cried together. I’ve counselled him as a pastor. I’m like his emotional big sister.”
The gathering outside the MP’s office was occasionally tense. Initially, a staff member agreed to meet with Mwangi and some of his advocates. That got cancelled and then rescheduled. Eventually, Mwangi delivered the petition and went inside to plead his case.
After the meeting, Mwangi and his supporters said the MP’s office agreed to contact the immigration minister and reconnect on Thursday to, hopefully, reverse the deportation order.
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in an email to CTV News Toronto that it cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy legislation.
The spokesperson said, however, that anyone subjected to removal may be eligible to apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) as part of their removal process.
“A decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly. Every individual facing removal is entitled to due process, but once all avenues to appeal are exhausted, they are removed from Canada in accordance with Canadian law,” the statement reads.