"I ask the Canadian government to take a little time and see the case from the humanitarian angle. And make a good decision. We are a united family, we are not problematic people, we do not have a criminal record, we want to stay united and give us the opportunity to live together here in Canada."

It is the story of a family with five children who applied for refuge in Canada 6 years ago, a request that was rejected by immigration. The family is already very well integrated into the country, with parents working and children studying. But all that can be broken in three weeks, when the parents are deported to their country of origin and their children to another country, where they were born.

JILMAR PICÓN PINEDA WITH HIS WIFE AND HIS FIVE CHILDREN

"I told the immigration officer when I signed the deportation order, which was making me sign my death sentence"

Jilmar Picón Pineda thought he had done things well. He requested to remain in Canada for humanitarian and compassionate reasons, after immigration had denied him refugee status in 2011.

But he says that the woman who claimed to be helping her family with her request did not present the documents.

Instead, it charged him thousands of dollars over the course of two years before disappearing in December 2016.

The Federal Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizens has not given an explanation says Jilmar. A spokesman confirmed that the department is aware of the family problem and that the staff is investigating the case.

PILMAR PICÓN PINEDA (LEFT) SAID HIS DEPORTATION TO GUATEMALA IS A DEATH SENTENCE.
THE DEPORTATION ORDER

Unless the order is suspended, the family has three weeks to leave the country. Deportation will separate parents from their children.

Picón Pineda, his wife and their eldest son will be deported to Guatemala on July 12, from where they fled violence and death threats almost two decades ago.

The four youngest children of the family will be deported on July 10 to the United States, where they were born.

With the help of a lawyer, the family has submitted another application to remain in Canada for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

Although tickets for the plane have been reserved, Picon Pineda said he is praying that the request will be processed before it is too late.

IF HER FAMILY IS DEPORTED, NELY PICON DUARTE (RIGHT), 18, SAID SHE WILL ABANDON HER DREAM OF BECOMING A NURSE, TO TAKE CARE OF HER YOUNGER SIBLINGS.

Nely Picón Duarte, 18, said she is not ready to be without her parents. He was born with a kidney disease that requires specialized care.
"My dad has always promised me that if I need a transplant or something, he will be there for me," he said.

And now he probably will not be able to.

A childhood spent in the hospital inspired the teenager to become a nurse, which is why Nely said she applied for admission to NorQuest College in Edmonton.

Nely is being deported to the United States with her three younger siblings.

"Looks like I'm going to take care of them," he said.

"I had hoped to go to college, but it seems that it could not be because I have to take care of my little brothers."

I HURT , EDISON PICO DUARTE SAID ABOUT THE IDEA OF SEPARATING HIS BROTHERS

While Nely and his younger siblings move with a relative to Texas, his older brother Edisson Picón Duarte is forced to return to Guatemala.

"It hurts," is all he could say about his family's situation.

Edisson had dreamed of becoming an architect once his papers were approved. He worked in a cleaning service with his mother to help pay for the family's immigration expenses.

"My son is very strong and this is the first time I see him cry," said his father. This has broken me. "

The deportation order that arrived on World Refugee Day

"Canadians continue to help newcomers to establish their lives here with compassion and openness," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a public statement to commemorate the day.

"I think this would be a very important day for Canada to demonstrate the sincerity of those words," Jenny Kwan told CBC. She is the federal immigration critic of the NDP. Canada can do better. "

Jenny Kwan, NPD immigration critic
She asks the Canadian Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen, to consider that case.

"Separating children from their families, from their parents is simply inhumane - it is absolutely inhuman - and I think Canada can do something better."
-Jenny Kwan, immigration critic of the NPD

"This seems to me a case in which the minister needs to exercise his right to intervene."

Protect vulnerable immigrants from exploitation

Deputy Kwan is vice president of a permanent citizenship and immigration committee. To date, the multi-party committee has published 12 reports on issues affecting immigrants and refugees in Canada.

Last Friday, members agreed on 21 recommendations that would strengthen the regulation of immigration consultants. The measure aims to protect immigrants vulnerable to exploitation.

"Unfortunately, in some cases, unscrupulous representatives take advantage of these people, which can have disastrous consequences for applicants, including delays in immigration applications, financial difficulties and the loss of legal immigration in Canada," notes the report.