Global Maritimes TV interviewed Dara and ran the clip on both the 6mp and 11 pm news. We have to thank Global for their interest and giving some more media profile to Juan’s predicament and the family’s efforts to be reunited. Hope this TV coverage helps further the case.

(a summary of my essay submitted as part of the immigration application)

Our Family – Our Story

Juan and I first met during the Gunn Baldursson Soccer Tournament in 1998. Juan was a referee in this tournament and the Atlantic All Star Tournament held at Kings Edgehill School during that weekend. I was in attendance as a coach, scouting potential players to compete for the Dalhousie Women’s soccer program.

During the summer of 1998 we dated, mainly in the Valley where we hiked, spent many hours both golfing and playing soccer together and hours and hours of great conversation. I had never been a fan of golf and initially just came along for the conversation and later became very eager to play myself. In addition, Juan helped me with the summer soccer camps that I was hired to conduct for the Valley District Soccer Association. Both of us are very passionate about soccer and it was this passion that drew us very close. But then we realized that we loved and valued the same things – great food, sports, family and great times together socializing and laughing by ourselves or with friends.

In the spring of 1999 we purchased our family soccer store, now Juandaro’s Futbol Boutique in Wolfville, NS. Juan had left his job at the Prince George and we decided to move to the Valley, my home, to run our new family business and coach soccer throughout the Valley in the summer months. On September 20^th we received a letter from the Halifax immigration office informing us of Juan’s deportation on September 28^th, 1999. Immediately, we met with our former lawyer who informed us that there was no way to avoid this deportation order. We were not willing to accept this ultimatum, so, Juan inquired about our current lawyer, Lee Cohen. On Thursday, Sept 23 we spoke to Lee Cohen and discussed the options for our case.

On September 27^th, 1999 Juan and I were married at the Hantsport United Church in my hometown. The wedding was attended by our closest family and friends and my Dalhousie Women’s Soccer team, with a reception at my family home. The following morning, September 28^th , we met with immigration officials in Halifax who informed us that Juan needed to leave Canada. Lee negotiated on behalf of Juan to have Juan go to Spain. Juan left Canada for Spain in early October 1999. I joined Juan in Spain on Dec 14^th. On January 25^th, Juan and I arrived back in Canada. At this time we proudly announced to our family and friends that we were expecting our first child, Orlando. Within a few weeks Juan reported himself to immigration officials in Halifax. At the completion of that meeting we expected to hear from the immigration officials but didn’t for several years.

Over these next few years, Juan and I focused on two things: Firstly, our family. Both Juan and I wanted to have children. In 2003 we had our second child, Milena. In 2005, I gave birth to our third child, Juan Pablo. Our second area of focus was our family business, Juandaro’s Futbol Boutique. Both Juan and I spent many hours coaching either paid or volunteer, running soccer camps, and working hard to establish our business in the soccer community. A family friend suggested the name compiling our three names – Juan, Dara, and Orlando. I love to say the name – because it represents what we are all about – it reminds me of how important everyone in my family is to me, drawing a special connection between the family and our business.

During the next few years, Juan and I grew even closer, as our children started to show who they were going to become. Our priority during this time was enjoying our family and helping our children learn important values and morals to become great Canadian citizens. In addition, a lot of our time was spent in our family business or coaching, playing, refereeing, all around our second passion, soccer. During this time, Lee Cohen was leading our case and seeking options for Juan to apply for that would allow him to remain in Canada.

All applications failed during this time. In late September 2007 Juan received a deportation

Here is a photo of Juan with Orlando, Milena and Juan Pablo. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version

 

There may be changes in the immigration system as early as April. This article is from the CTV news has more on the government’s planned changes:

Immigration Minister Diane Finley says the Conservative government is willing to go to the polls over controversial proposed changes to the way the government selects new Canadians.

The amendment — packaged as part of the federal budget implementation bill tabled on March 14 — overhauls the current system, allowing the government to speed up specific applications and decide which type of people can jump the queue. It would give the minister the ability to cap the list of people waiting to be accepted into Canada and make changes to immigration policy that must currently go through Parliament.

The speed up part sounds good:

“We have to make it easier to get more people here faster. We have a backlog right now that the previous government ballooned from 50,000 to 800,000. It has since grown to 900,000.”

It seems that Juan may be in that backlog.

Finley says the changes are necessary in order to tackle the significant number of applicants waiting to get into Canada and to fill jobs that go empty while qualified people wait in the massive line.

She said her government has processed applications from immigrants trying to join family members in Canada 20 to 40 per cent faster than the previous government, and the new provisions would speed this up even more. The amendment will also allow the government to target immigrants depending on what part of the world they are from, providing the option of faster processing for those in troubled areas.

It looks as if these changes will take place since the Liberals are not willing to force an election over it

The Liberal opposition party promised to support the budget, virtually guaranteeing the budget implementation bill will pass. The NDP says it will not support the bill, which would replace immigration policy designed by the Liberals to ensure each application was treated with equal fairness, preventing those with connections from jumping the queue.

Do you think this will help this case? It is hard to know.

A comment on ” Our Story” .

Hello all out there!
I just wanted to say hi and let you know how happy I am about the launching of our web info.

I hope you read it and write lots of comments about it.
Juan and family.

If you can help the family in any way with this case please e-mail.

This article was in the paper (Chronicle Herald) today (March 15)

The Conservatives have tabled sweeping immigration legislation that would give the federal government power to fast-track certain types of applicants …

The landmark amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act were included in a budget implementation bill tabled Friday — making them a confidence matter.

Unless the Liberals reverse their recent habit of abstaining from confidence votes, the government should survive and win approval for the changes.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the legislation will help speed things up for the skilled workers this country needs, but who often give up on Canada as a destination because of the painfully long backlogs.

Finley declined to speculate about which immigration categories could be banished to the lower rungs of the priority list. The legislation merely gives the government power to set those priorities, she said, and added that any future policy changes will be transparent and announced in Parliament.

“My priority right now is to get the legislation through first,” Finley said in an interview. “Then (it’s to) find the most efficient and effective way to reduce the backlog and speed up the processing times for all categories.”

She said the legislation could eventually help speed things up for all types of immigrants. For instance, she intends to use her new powers to ask officials to proceed quickly in clearing out-of-date applications from people who have died, re-applied, or moved elsewhere since filing their papers.

We are unsure whether this will be good news or bad news in this case. If it speeds things up it might help.

Here is a letter written in April of last year on Juan’s behalf to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration by the Wolfville and Area Interchurch Council.

An excerpt:

Over many years, I have come to know Mr. Ramirez. I have come to respect him and to appreciate his important contribution to the phenomenal growth of amateur soccer in the Annapolis Valley. His example as an athlete and his leadership have made a real difference in the lives of local soccer enthusiasts of all ages but most especially in the lives of hundreds of school-aged boys and girls. Furthermore, through his active participation in a number of non-sport related organizations, Mr. Ramirez promoted local business and philanthropy in Wolfville. To say that his absence is keenly felt by a wide segment of this community, while being truthful, does not do full justice to Mr. Ramirez: a person of special talent and energy, a caring family man, a creative entrepreneur, and beneficial member of society who often reached out to help the young and those less fortunate. It is noteworthy that Mr. Ramirez was a member of the Wolfville branch of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an international organization whose sole purpose is to provide material and spiritual support to the poor.
The unfortunate circumstances surrounding Mr. Ramirez’s deportation to Columbia are known to WAICC. Indeed, the local paper, The Advertiser and The Chronicle-Herald in Halifax have ensured that his story is well-known throughout Nova Scotia. We, who have worked with and lived beside Mr. Ramirez, while naturally admitting that deportation is a necessary tool that must be used to preserve our society from those who would harm it, do not believe that Mr. Ramirez is a person who falls into that category.

This article appeared just recently – again in our local paper. We hope it will help.

A local family wants to be together, but one of its members awaits a decision on whether or not he can come home.

Juan Ramirez and his family are waiting on the outcome of his family class immigration application.

Canadian immigration officials deported the Wolfville businessman and local soccer builder to his native Colombia in October, 2006. He has been there since getting paperwork together for his latest immigration application.

Meanwhile, his wife and business partner, Dara, and their three children – ages seven to just under three – are left to carry on without him.

Dara continues to operate their Wolfville business, Juandaros Soccer Boutique, coach university soccer and keep things going for the kids. They were able to visit Juan in Colombia recently.

In an e-mail interview March 2, Juan said, “being away from my kids and wife has been the worse thing that they could have done to me, not being able to see them growing and helping them in their homework and other activities that they are involved. It is even harder now after their visit.”
This is from Juan:

“I am okay, I guess, just trying to be strong and healthy for when I get back to Canada. I’m very sad for the whole situation. I am doing some refereeing and playing to keep mentally fit.”

As for his friends in the local community, “wow, I am missing lots of people now, all the kids and parents I had met during the last 13 years. I miss coaching a lot. Seeing kids getting up in the world of soccer or any other sport; that is very rewarding.”

As for a timely and favourable conclusion to the situation, Juan said, “it has been a long time for sure. I am very hopeful and positive of the outcome of this, with all the support we are getting from friends and the community. I think it will be within the next six months or so. I cross my fingers.”

Let’s hope so.

The following article was in our local paper last year.A local family wants to be reunited and they’re hoping friends will help.

Immigration officials deported Wolfville businessman and local soccer builder Juan Ramirez to his native Colombia in October. He’s trying to get paperwork together now for another immigration refugee application, but the process could take a year.

Meanwhile, his wife and business partner, Dara, and their three children – ages six, four and 18 months – are left without him. Dara continues to operate their Wolfville business, Juandaros Soccer Boutique, and keep things going for the kids. She’s spearheading letterwriting and bracelet campaigns to show support for her husband’s application.

Hundreds of letters of support from the community could make the application stronger, she says, and a desired outcome more timely; or, if the application is unsuccessful, help with an appeal on humanitarian grounds.

The blue and white bracelets read, “Reunite a Family” and sport the Canadian and Colombian flags. Dara said if 1,000 people are wearing the bracelets, it’ll send a powerful message to officials.

You can read the rest of it here.

Juan’s legal counsel, Lee Cohen, says a successful letter campaign would show immigration officials and politicians that Juan enjoys widespread support in the community from a variety of citizens.

If you can help please e-mail us here.

JUAN RAMIREZ
20 Statements of History and Fact

1. Juan Ramirez came to Canada about 10 years ago to claim refugee status.

2. He was a ranking officer in the military of Colombia. Coming from a poor background, Juan was proud to join the military and took full advantage of the education, training, programs and prestige offered in the military through which he was able to better himself in ways that are not available to many of the impoverished citizens of Colombia.

3. Juan gradually became aware of atrocities committed by the military against Colombian citizens about which he complained to his senior officers.

4. Superiors told Juan to forget what he heard and what he saw and, for good measure, a senior officer fired a gunshot just over Juan’s head as a warning about what would happen to Juan if he continued to complain about atrocities.

5. Fearing for his safety, he fled to Canada to claim refugee status.

6. Juan made his refugee claim in Canada. He conducted his own refugee hearing, without the benefit of legal counsel, or any counsel, and he spoke no English at that time. Juan believed his case was so compelling, and the Canadian judicial proceedings so fair, that it was not possible that he, could lose his refugee claim.
He did.

7. Juan was too inexperienced in Canadian refugee law to realize that his refugee hearing was spiraling out of control. The hearing that Juan thought was proceeding in his favor concluded that he was not a refugee and, more damaging, that he had, by virtue of his association in the Colombian military, also committed crimes against humanity.

8. Juan did not know for many years following his unsuccessful refugee hearing that the refugee judges determined that he committed crimes against humanity.

9. Not having legal counsel to advise him, Juan also did not know he could or even should apply to Federal Court to have his case sent back for a new refugee hearing particularly on the allegation that he committed crimes against humanity.  This unsubstantiated allegation against him has gone unchallenged ever since.

10. There never has been, and there still is not, any evidence of any kind that Juan Ramirez ever committed any crimes against humanity. There is no such evidence because it never happened. Juan has certificates from both the civilian government and the military in Colombia verifying a clean record.

11. Juan was deported from Canada in 1999. He went, not to Colombia, where he still feared for his life, but to Spain where he was later joined by his wife, Dara. They later returned to Canada together where Juan once again made a new refugee claim, all of which was permitted by Canadian law at that time.

12. Juan waited in Wolfville for several years for his new refugee case to be called for a hearing to confirm that he was indeed a refugee and to show that he at no time  committed any crimes against humanity In the meantime, while waiting, Juan distinguished himself in Wolfville, and in the Annapolis Valley, as a prolific dad, devoted husband, competent business owner, employer, community volunteer, promoter of fitness to children and adults, soccer coach, teacher and confidante to children younger and older, and a respected soccer referee.

13. After a wait of several years, Immigration contacted Juan, not to schedule his much anticipated second refugee hearing, but to deport him from Canada again as a person who, according to the immigration department, had committed crimes against humanity.

14. Juan was deported back to Colombia leaving behind in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, his wife and three children, a business, and many children who relied upon Juan as their soccer coach, teacher and referee.

15. In his absence, Juan’s wife Dara, applied to sponsor Juan to immigrate to Canada as the husband of a Canadian citizen.

16. Dara has since been accepted by Immigration Canada as a qualified spousal sponsor.

17. Juan’s immigration application is now being processed at the Canadian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.  It is feared that the gratuitous, unsubstantiated, allegations of “crimes against humanity” will cause his immigration application to fail precluding him from ever being able to return to Canada to be reunited with his family and his community.

18. Juan Ramirez has never had an opportunity in Canadian law to clear his name.

19. There is no evidence to support these heinous allegations. Juan did not commit any crimes against humanity.

20. In Canadian law a person is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Juan Ramirez was unknowingly declared guilty without ever having a chance to prove his innocence.