Teen’s YouTube deportation plea
Mexican student states family’s case to stay after refugee claim denied
Armando Lazcano Gonsenheim has turned to YouTube in a desperate bid to prevent his family from being deported to Mexico.
The 18-year-old Markham student is hoping federal Immigration Minister Chris Alexander will see the four-minute clip, “Waiting for a Miracle,” and reverse the department’s decision to force them to leave.
“People don’t want to share these stories because they are so afraid and they don’t know what to do. I want to help my parents. I don’t want to put all the weight on them,” said Gonsenheim, who will graduate from Milliken Mills High School this month.
“I want to show I can help, too . . . I want to tell people, ‘This is me. Put yourself in my shoes and help.’ ”
Gonsenheim’s father Alejandro Lazcano Gutierrez fled to Canada in 2008 after threats he said he received at the hands of Mexican authorities following a car accident, according to his asylum claim, filed in 2011, when his wife Karen and two sons joined him here.
The claim was rejected in 2013 because the refugee judge ruled the father was not credible and that Mexico, a democratic country, was capable of protecting the family. The family has since twice applied for permanent residency in Canada on humanitarian grounds, but were rejected both times, they said.
Their deportation, scheduled in December, was suspended after the federal court agreed to review the immigration department’s rejection of their latest humanitarian application. In April, the court dismissed the appeal. A removal order is pending.
“All individuals have the right to due process. However, once they have exhausted all legal avenues, we expect them to respect our immigration laws and leave Canada, or to be removed,” immigration spokesman Bruce Hicks said Thursday.
Gonsenheim said they were devastated when they received news of the court decision because they consider Canada home and both parents have jobs here. Two weeks ago, after a talk with a psychologist friend about the power of social media, his brother, Alejandro, suggested he make a video for YouTube. “I remember seeing Amanda Todd’s video when I was in high school,” said Alejandro, 21, a business student at Wilfrid Laurier University, referring to the British Columbia girl who posted a video on YouTube with a series of flash cards of her experience as a victim of bullying before killing herself in 2012.
“People do respond better in the new era of Internet and social media if we can share our story and put a face to it,” he said.
Gonsenheim, who has volunteered for two years as a cameraman at Rogers TV, took up the idea, scripted the flash cards, and shot and edited the video in two days — without telling his parents or brother, who only found out about it when they saw the video posted on his school’s Facebook page.
“It just broke my heart because of his sensibility. I’m just so proud of him,” said his father, who has worked as a tradesman and now runs his own kitchen renovation business.
Jeff Moore, a Rogers TV producer who has known the teen for two years, said the YouTube video was an eye-opener for him and other Canadians who never have to deal with fleeing one’s own country and living in limbo with precarious status.
“Social media is the most effective and formidable form of communication. It gets your message to people quickly and accurately,” said Moore. Optician Stephen Sanger has known the family for seven years and calls them the “most honest, hardworking and genuine people.”
“No doubt these are the people we really want in this country. They embrace our cultures, values and morals,” said Sanger. “The family is lost in the paperwork. Hopefully, the video is what it takes for immigration to look at things at a human level rather than just check a box.”
The family’s close friend, retired Toronto police officer Don Oliver, agrees.
“They are honest, and trustworthy. They pay taxes and work hard to better themselves, and are thankful for every day they spend in this country,” said Oliver, who met Gonsenheim’s father while helping him with fingerprinting seven years ago.
Gonsenheim’s video has received more than 2,500 views. “It did touch me,” said Jason Wu, a friend of Gonsenheim’s brother.
“They have been fighting this for a long time. The video is direct and personal. This is something new and I hope their message can reach out to a lot of people.”
Gonsenheim said he has emailed the family’s appeal and the video link to the immigration minister a few times but has yet to hear from his office.