And Now For The Update.....

I got this from a site, www.killingtrain.com. It is an update posted a short while ago about the Daniel Isakov deportation, I wish it was good news. It is posted here as found on the site.

"This is the story of a mother and an 11-year old boy, Daniel Isakov and his mom Irina. They tried to claim refugee status, coming here from Israel. They are Russian jews who came to Canada to flee from Daniel's abusive father. They've been in Canada 6 years. Canada refused their claim and then their appeal. Meanwhile Israel, it turns out, has a policy of stripping people of citizenship if they apply for refugee status. This is obviously a policy designed to try to take citizenship away from Israeli Palestinians who might be fleeing persecution, but an automatic policy is an automatic policy and Israel has applied it to the Daniel and Irina. To quote OCAP's appeal:
Being forced to return to Israel has always been Irina and Daniel's greatest fear. When they arrive in Israel on December 1st, they will have no money and no place to live. They have no family or friends there and Irina has no prospects for employment. As well, Daniel has excelled in school here. The Israeli public school system caters strongly to Hebrew-speaking Jews. Daniel does not speak Hebrew and does not practice Judaism, given this, it will be very difficult for him to find appropriate public schooling. Irina has tried desperately to negotiate their return to Russia instead, where at least her mother and sister live and they have a home to move into. Immigration Canada refused to do even this.
It's now December 3. Were Daniel and Irina deported? No:
Last night, December 1st, 11 year old Daniel and his mother were supposed to board a plane to be deported to Israel. They did not show up for their deportation. Instead, they joined the estimated 200 000 Immigrants living “underground” in Canada.
This is how people who are abused can be abused again by cold bureaucracies and racist policies."

"For Immediate Release: December 2, 2004
11 YEAR OLD DANIEL ISAKOV AND HIS MOM: FORCED UNDERGROUND
Last night, December 1st, 11 year old Daniel and his mother were supposed to board a plane to be deported to Israel. They did not show up for their deportation. Instead, they joined the estimated 200 000 Immigrants living “underground” in Canada.
Living underground is difficult and dangerous. A Federal Warrant has been issued for Daniel and Irina’s arrest. If Immigration officials find them, both mother and son will be jailed and then deported. Although Daniel is a good student with many friends, if he returns to his public school Immigration officials could be waiting to detain him. If he or his mother are victims of violence they cannot go to the Toronto police for protection as their policy is to turn non-status victims of crime over to Immigration. His mom faces grave danger if she tries to assert her rights as a worker because any employer could simply report her to Deportation officials. On the other hand, if she tries to collect social assistance she is also in danger of being reported to Immigration by Social Services.
Why would Irina and Daniel make this decision? Unfortunately, for Daniel and his mother, even with all the hardships of living underground life is still better for them here then if they are deported. Although their struggle to stay in Canada legally was supported by many groups, including Defence for Children International, Immigration Minister Judy Sgro refused to stop their deportation. The real question is: why won’t the government grant legal status to the more than 200 000 Immigrants in Canada who live under similarly harsh conditions??
A Toronto-based campaign has formed to push the City government to grant services to the massive number of people living in our Community without legal status. In the United States more than 13 cities, including Seattle, have passed a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which allows people in need to access municipal services with out being asked for their Immigration status or having that information passed on. With out a “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, Toronto is a cold-hearted place to live for countless people, including tens of thousands of children. "