Jose Figueroa stands outside the Walnut Grove Lutheran Church with his family, left to right, Esmeralda, Ruby, Jose and wife Ivania in Langley, B.C. on Wednesday. We see Figueroa standing in the midst of his family. He and his wife are smiling widely.The children look just a tad nervous and kids tend to be when their picture is being taken. The family is sharing big hugs as his youngest daughter (to Figueroa's left) appears to be holding on to him for dear life.

Jose Figueroa stands outside the Walnut Grove Lutheran Church with his family, left to right, Esmeralda, Ruby, Jose and wife Ivania in Langley, B.C. on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: CP Photo / Jonathan Hayward

Salvadoran asylum seeker walks to freedom

Jose Figueroa is finally free to celebrate Christmas with his family and pursue his life in Canada.

Figueroa, an asylum seeker from El Salvador, celebrated his 49th birthday on Wednesday by walking out of British Columbia church where he took refuge two years ago to avoid deportation for political activities in his native country more than 20 years ago.

Outside the Walnut Grove Lutheran Church in the Vancouver suburb of Langley, Figueroa sobbed in his wife’s embrace and pumped his fists in celebration after gaining an exemption to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

The exemption was granted last week by Immigration Minister John McCallum. Figuera received the news on Monday but decided to wait for his birthday to walk to freedom.

Figueroa came to Canada in 1997 and claimed refugee status.

He was open about his involvement with the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) an organization involved in the Salvadoran Civil War that later became a left-wing political party when peace accords were signed in 1992.

But in 2010, immigration officials ruled him “inadmissible “and moved to deport him.

His wife and three Canadian-born children were allowed to stay, but he was told to return to El Salvador and parent by Skype.

Figueroa said Wednesday he plans to pay a visit to Rodney Watson, a former American soldier who took sanctuary in a Vancouver church six years ago.

Figueroa says he wants to bring hope to Watson, who was ordered deported in 2009 and is facing military imprisonment for refusing a second deployment to Iraq as a war resister.

Categories: International, Politics, Society
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