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.