Allegations of Discrimination Levied Against Immigration Officials by the Congolese Public

In Quebec, a number of Congolese immigrants find themselves in a precarious situation, facing potential deportation. Among them are Jonas Kiese Umba, a Congolese native who arrived in 2019 to escape violence in his home country, and Cristiano Binda Nguya, a British national.

Kiese Umba, who is married to a Quebecer and recently had a baby, has been waiting for news on his sponsorship application and work permit for several months. His asylum request was deemed inadmissible by the Canada Border Services Agency, who labelled the Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) movement, with which Kiese Umba was involved, as a separatist rebel group seeking to overthrow the government by force. However, Congolese lawyer Lumbala Kabeya asserts that the BDK is a peaceful movement that has never taken up arms.

Kabeya presented a testimony signed by Deputy Albert Fabrice, Minister of Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of Congo, confirming this. The Canadian authorities, on the other hand, have relied on declarations from Congolese government officials to justify their stance.

Nguya, who has lived in Quebec for nearly 10 years with his wife and four children, two of whom were born in Canada, has had no news regarding his applications for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds or for renewal of his work and stay permit for nearly a year. His youngest child suffers from sickle cell anemia and requires regular hospital visits at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal.

Similar cases are being handled by lawyers in the Congolese community, who accuse Canadian immigration authorities of carrying out unfounded expulsions based on erroneous information. Stewart Istvanffy, the lawyer handling Kiese's case, refers to the use of Section 34.1.f of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to deem his client's asylum request inadmissible as "legal lynching."

The death of magazine editor Isabelle Vaillancourt and the general director of Publications BLD, which publishes "Les Débrouillards" among others, has added a sombre note to these ongoing issues. The community continues to fight for justice and fair treatment, with Kiese Umba stating, "I'm being treated like a threat when all I am is a father, a husband, a worker, and a survivor."