Ihuoma Amadi (left) and Victoria Ordu are desperate to resume their studies.

A group of University of Saskatchewan students are publicly opposing the deportation of Victoria Ordu and Ihuoma Amadi, two international students from the University of Regina.

U of S graduate Stephen Davis, who met Ordu and Amadi while living in the same U of R residence as the women in 2011, created an open Facebook group called “Students in Solidarity With Victoria and Ihuoma” to raise awareness of the students’ situation and to gather support for them.

The group lists nearly 400 members, 10 of whom recently met to form an action plan.

Amadi and Ordu have been studying at the University of Regina since 2009 on full scholarships from the Nigerian government –– both are three years into completing their degrees in international studies and theatre arts, respectively –– and risk losing them if they are deported after working illegally without work permits.

In 2011, Ordu realized that the social insurance number given to her only allowed her to be employed on the U of R campus. She had been hired to do product demonstrations in a Regina Walmart but, after a few weeks of employment, she learned from a fellow international student that her SIN number did not permit her to work off-campus. She quit immediately and weeks later the Canadian Border Services Agency arrested her.

Amadi, who began working at the Walmart shortly after Ordu left, was arrested at the store by two CBSA agents who handcuffed and escorted her from the till where she was stationed.

In November of 2011, the Nigerian students received an order to leave, which gave them 30 days to leave the country. Desperate to remain in Canada to finish their degrees, the women have been claiming sanctuary in a church in Regina since June 19 when they each received a deportation order.

Knowing the women personally brought weight to the issue for Davis, who said the notion of the incidents being intentional or malicious would not be like Amadi or Ordu.

“I know both are gentle, kind and willing characters,” Davis said. “This is an honest mistake.”

He feels that the consequence of deportation that the two international students are facing is too severe. The usual consequence for an infraction of this kind is a fine of a couple hundred dollars and clarification of their work restrictions.

“To deport these women would allow bureaucracy to trump Canadian values of compassion, understanding and critical thinking,” Davis said.

This sudden crackdown on international workers brings the affair to a new level for “Students in Solidarity” member Melissa Gan. She associated the irrational fear of immigrants stealing jobs from the Canadian markets with the message that Canada is sending through the CBSA’s unfriendly manner of handling the affair.

“I think most people would agree that this is not the kind of Canada we would like to associate ourselves with,” Gan said.

The group is not asking for all punishments to be waived but for more reasonable measures to be considered.

“These girls are not claiming complete ignorance,” Gan said. “We feel that what is happening to them is a really severe injustice given the situation.”

She said that the measures taken by the CBSA have been excessive, giving as a key example that Amadi was handcuffed during her arrest at work.

Dan LeBlanc, U of S student and member of “Students in Solidarity,” said that the group does not question the legal nature of deportation nor the Canadian government’s right to deport Amadi and Ordu.

“We are appealing on ethical, and not legal grounds, to show mercy.”

The group has created a petition that asks Vic Toews, the Canadian minister of public safety, and Jason Kenney, the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, to show compassion for Ordu and Amadi by allowing them to finish their studies at the U of R.

LeBlanc said that “Students in Solidarity” will have a table set up Sept. 27 and 28 in the Arts Tunnel where they will be handing out petitions and gathering support for the women’s cause. He said that organized letter writing sessions are also a possibility to help draw attention to the cause.

Anyone interested in signing the petition can find it via the Facebook page and that volunteers are still needed to distribute and collect petitions.

“Students in Solidarity” is working in conjunction with a Regina group operating under the Regina Public Interest Research Group, a resource centre at the U of R that is concerned with environmental and societal justice.

“Students in Solidarity” will send the petitions to the Regina group after Oct. 1.

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Photo: Troy Fleece/Regina Leader-Post