Listen to an interview with Pastor Dore in Quebec City. Dore reflects on Mohammed Cherfi and his recent victory in obtaining political refugee status in the US.
Produced for CKUT (90.3FM) community radio in Montreal by Aaron Lakoff
Mohammed Cherfi, an Algerian refugee, was deported from Montreal to the US on March 5th, 2004. Cherfi, who was very active in the Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians, was forced to take sanctuary in a church in Quebec City after he was served with a deportation order. When 15 police officers entered into the church to arrest and deport him, it was the first time in Canadian history that sanctuary had been broken by the state.
After spending 15 months in detention in Batavia, New York, Cherfi was granted political refugee status in the US just days ago, effectively stopping his deportation back to Algeria.
We spoke with Pastor Dore, a minister with the United Church of Canada, which provided sanctuary to Cherfi. Here, Pastor Dore reflects on his case, and the systemic injustices of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).
