CBC's George Strombo re WE ARE JOSE CAMPAIGN

We Are Jose -See this posting from CBC'S George Strombo below [link to his page]

January 11, 2011

Whether you're new to this country, or your family has been here for generations, it's a safe bet you appreciate how good it is to be Canadian. Well that was the case for Jose Figueroa, who came to British Columbia to escape political violence in his native El Salvador over 13 years ago. He worked for years to be a good Canadian. He's married with 3 kids, he always paid his own medical bills.

But he's been deemed a "national security threat" for his (non-combat) involvement with a group in El Salvador called the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front) back when he was a university student, 20 years ago.

The Canadian government considers the FMLN an organization that "engaged in terrorist activities."

Even though, during El Salvador's civil war, the FMLN was internationally recognized as a legitimate opposition group. The UN has declared as much.

And guess what?

In 2009 the FMLN won the presidential elections! They now form the internationally recognized legitimate government.

So. Why is Canada still trying to deport him? It's a good question that a lot of people are asking, including high profile individuals like politicians, both federal and provincial, activists, common citizens - even American actor/activist Martin Sheen.

On January 16th, you can get involved. The "We Are Jose" campaign is organizing events across the country so that Jose and his family can continue contributing to this country.