Inquest to shed light on deportation process
VANCOUVER — A coroner’s inquest starting Monday into the death of a Mexican national who attempted to hang herself inside a Vancouver airport holding cell offers a rare chance to examine the secretive deportation process encountered by many migrants, says an advocacy group with ties to Lucia Vega Jimenez’s family.
The group Mexicans Living in Vancouver was formed after the 42- year- old woman attempted suicide in late December, following several weeks in jail and Canadian Border Services Agency custody awaiting her removal. She died several days later.
“This inquest will be an X- ray. For the amount of time they will be spending and the amount of witnesses they probably will call, it’s going to be really detailed and a real opportunity to see how things really work,” said Rocco Trigueros, the group’s director.
“My hope is that recommendations are brought up and things change and we definitely can help these people who came here to work, and contribute in some way, to send them home in a less traumatic way.”
The inquest is aimed at shedding light into circumstances so far kept largely shrouded by authorities. The case was not revealed until about a month after Jimenez died, when media heard reports of the incident from members of the Mexican community in Vancouver.
The B. C. Coroners Service called the inquest in late February, with the explanation that an extra responsibility for care is required because the incident leading to the woman’s death occurred while she was in custody.
A jury cannot make findings of fault and instead is tasked with making recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
Jimenez was working as a chamber maid for a Vancouver hotel. She was arrested over an unpaid transit ticket and her lack of status in the country was discovered.
The Mexicans Living in Vancouver group quickly raised funds to bring Jimenez’s sister to Canada from Mexico after the woman tried to kill herself.
Trigueros has met several individuals who personally knew the woman. They described her as a hard- working person who would send money back home to her family, including her ill mother, he said. She attended community events, including an anti- racism march, and was also planning to soon get married. She did not show signs of depression, he said.
The coroner says Jimenez was found in a shower stall at the immigration holding centre at Vancouver International Airport on the morning of Dec. 20. She died in hospital on Dec. 28.