Around fifty people gathered on Friday outside the office of federal MP Marjorie Michel in Montreal, responding to a call from the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI) to demand an immediate halt to the deportation of the Singh-Rani family and a temporary suspension of deportations of rejected refugee claimants until their humanitarian applications have been fully assessed.
The demonstration took place amid an unprecedented increase in deportations across Canada. According to data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), 23,160 removal orders were enforced in 2025—the highest number in several years—representing a 52% increase compared with 2023. The pace has remained high in 2026, with 5,260 removals carried out by March 31, more than four-fifths of which involved rejected refugee claimants. Quebec recorded the highest number of deportations in the country, with 10,628 removals in 2025. (Source: La Presse, July 3, 2026).
Mostafa Henaway, spokesperson for the Immigrant Workers Centre, emphasized that the demonstration was about more than one family:
“We are not trying to argue that this family’s situation is more important than anyone else’s. What we want to show is that deportations are being carried out before all humanitarian procedures have been completed.”
Nisha Rani and her husband Kuldeep Singh, who arrived in Canada as refugee claimants in 2019 and now work in Montreal, are facing deportation even though their application for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds has been pending for more than a year.
The family also has a two-year-old Canadian-born daughter who suffers from health problems and is receiving ongoing medical treatment and follow-up care in Montreal. During the rally, Nisha Rani tearfully appealed to supporters, saying, “I need your help.” (Source: La Presse, July 3, 2026).
The case comes at a time when India has become the leading country of citizenship among people deported from Canada. Indian nationals also represent the largest group of individuals with pending removal cases, according to CBSA data.
The Immigrant Workers Centre continues to call on the federal government to temporarily suspend the deportation of rejected refugee claimants whose humanitarian or other legal applications remain under review, warning that enforcing deportation orders before these processes are completed places many families at risk of separation or return to unsafe conditions.
Sources:
- La Presse, “Les renvois de demandeurs d’asile s’accélèrent”, July 3, 2026.
- Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI), demonstration call and campaign materials, July 3, 2026.
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), 2025–2026 removal statistics, as reported by La Presse.
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