Montreal family granted temporary residency after facing deportation to Mexico

For the past six years, the Zamudio-Quintana family from Mexico have called Montreal home.

But on Friday, the couple and their three children were facing deportation — then just hours before, they were granted a temporary residents permit to stay in Canada.

“We are very, very happy at the moment,” said the mother, Norma Quintana. “It is a very great emotion.”

“We are very, very, very grateful for the support of the community,” said Norma. “Especially from an emotional standpoint in accompanying us and also for helping us through this very difficult time.”

“We will be forever grateful.”

In 2018, Norma and Jose Zamudio along with their kids fled their country after receiving threats from a Mexican drug cartel.

On Thursday, the family was contacted by the Canada Border Services Agency about the temporary residents permit lasting six months.

“For the family,” explained Norma. “It’s a lot of security.”

“There’s crime there, the children have built friendships, they’re building a future. It’s important to them.”

“My family was really really happy,” said Ulises Zamudio Quintana, their 12-year-old son, who is hoping to stay in Montreal. “Because we didn’t know what’s going on.”

“We didn’t know nothing,” he added. “So it was really good news.”

Parents with kids attending the same school as Quintana’s kids – in the Montreal community of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve – collected more 2,700 signatures for a petition, asking the Canadian government to allow the family to stay.

“Less than one week we got 2,700 signatures,” explained Leonardo Munoz, who helped organize the petition and a rally. “Children have made a petition, 110 signatures to say no, this family is okay.”

“They have to stay here in Canada.”

“That’s what the main question of the kids,” said Munoz. “That they don’t understand why their friends have to go out.”

“I was surprised,” added Ulises. “Because we didn’t know that a lot of people will see our situation.”

“My parents feel a lot less stressful than the last week.”

The community group also hosted a rally the day before the family was scheduled to be deported.

This family of five from Mexico will now focus on applying for a humanitarian permanent resident request with the hope of staying in Montreal permanently.

“It’s been six years,” said Munoz. “They are working, paying taxes, working as everybody.”

“So the main, it’s essential that have people who can afford, they can live without the cost of the state,” he added. “That family prove it, that they can deserve and stay here.”

“My brother and my sister had a lot of friends here in this school,” said Ulises. “They don’t want to go.”

“Me too,” he added. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here.”