Saturday February 24, 2018
By Alexander Quon and Rebecca Lau
A Federal Court judge has ruled against an emergency request to pause the deportation hearing of former Somali child refugee Abdoul Abdi.
Benjamin Perryman, Abdi’s lawyer, revealed the decision on Friday.
He says that the court ruled that there was an “inability to raise important legal or constitutional issues” and that the deportation hearing was not an “exceptional circumstance” that warranted the court’s intervention.
Fatouma Abdi, the sister of Abdi, said she was overwhelmed when informed of the judge’s decision by Global News on Thursday.
Fatouma said that the decision was not fair and puts her brother in jeopardy.
“I can’t imagine how it is for my brother,” she said.
Abdi, 24, never got Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster care in Nova Scotia.
The 24-year-old was released in December after serving five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault. After his release, he was detained by the Canada Border Services Agency and is now facing deportation to Somalia.
Perryman has previously told Global News that there were three ways that Abdi could have become a Canadian citizen: if he was left with his aunt as a child, placed up for adoption or if child welfare services applied for citizenship on his behalf.
Perryman says Abdi is currently working in Ontario on a research project looking at the connection between the child welfare system and the criminal justice system.
“The Court did not comment on whether Mr. Abdi would be irreparably harmed if he loses his permanent resident status before his court case is resolved,” wrote Perryman.
Abdi’s deportation hearing will continue as scheduled on Mar. 7 in Toronto.