No chance to say goodbye before deportation
Well-wishers gathered at airport heartbroken, as deported mom and daughter fly to S. Korea
Kenyon Wallace
Tess Kalinowski
STAFF REPORTERS
TheStar.com | GTA
Apr 26, 2009 04:30 AM
Comments on this story [] (52)
The disappointment was palpable.
As the time of Eugene Kim's departure neared last night at Pearson International Airport, the hope of more than two dozen friends gathered for a chance to say a final goodbye to the 8-year-old girl and her mother, Kim Suk Yeung, slowly disappeared.
“I feel sad and depressed. It's very disappointing,” said Yuna Park, 11, a family friend. “I wanted to see her to say a very last goodbye, but it turns out the goodbye we said at home was the last one.”
Kim was deported to Seoul, South Korea, late last night after losing her refugee appeal before the Immigration and Refugee Board. She elected to take her Toronto-born daughter with her.
Kim had come to Canada on a visitor's visa in 2000. She had been working in a dry cleaner's shop in the Davenport neighbourhood where Eugene was a Grade 2 student at Dovercourt Jr. Public School.
As well-wishers gathered, officials checked in the Kims' baggage, and a Korean Air staffer accepted an armful of gifts provided by the group for the little girl.
Earlier, Eugene and her mother were taken from a West Toronto detention centre before evening visiting hours began, even though their flight was not scheduled to leave until 11:50 p.m.
No explanation was given.
Earlier in the day, Eugene enjoyed one final hour of glorious spring weather but even that was spent behind the detention centre's high barbed-wire fence.
The little girl, who speaks five languages, wore a purple and pink sundress and a Korean Air satchel around her neck. Her mother said she was relieved Eugene had eaten some noodles for lunch, the first real food the child had consumed since entering the locked-down facility.
Mother and daughter also said their goodbye to the mothers of Eugene's best friends at Dovercourt Jr. Public School, who came to the jail-like setting in which visitors speak to detainees by phone behind a pane of glass earlier yesterday.
“This is our country's loss,” said a tearful Kathleen Foley, who with sister Marie, tried Friday to persuade Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to reconsider Kim's case.
The president of the Canadian branch of Defence for Children International confirmed to the Star yesterday there was nothing more that could be done to keep the Kims in Canada.
“We had to establish if there was a risk of serious harm to the child and we haven't been able to do that, so there are not sufficient reasons to overturn a deportation order,” said Agnes Samler. “The only thing we might have been able to do is an appeal on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, but we have not had a lot of success under the current system.”
Yesterday, though, Foley said she tried to stress to Eugene that she and her mother would be on to new adventures back in South Korea, where the little girl has never lived. Kim's parents and a brother live about 1 1/2 hours south of Seoul.
“They need to be together,” said Foley. “If that means they have to be together in Korea, then that's the way it needs to be.”
With files from Lesley Ciarula Taylor
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Law's the law
I'm pleased that queue jumpers aren't rewarded. As for using the little girl to win sympathy. Shame on them. It's not that Korean is a backward, repressive country. It'll be tough on her at first but at the age of 5, she'll adjust just like many immigrant children adjusted to Canada “where they never lived”; we don't make a fuss about that.
Submitted by golfingsteve at 10:47 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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We have laws…
Why is it that some people believe that the law applies only when it suits them. She made a false claim and she broke our immigration laws. South Korea has a similar economy and living standards as Canada. What she did would be the same as any one of us showing up in the United States and trying to make a refugee claim because we don't like where we live.
Submitted by bulkbagger at 10:47 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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why the sob story?
why are we turning an obvious legal issue into a sob story. the mother elected to break the law, now she must suffer the consequences. what's next? sympathy stories for inmates of kingston pen?
Submitted by katizzle at 10:47 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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The process needs to mean something
If people are allowed to bypass the process then the process becomes meaningless. At that point immigration becomes a simple matter of do whatever you can to get into the country and once you're here you can stay. What kind of message does that send to the world? A key means to curtail illegal immigration is by enforcing the laws. The only 'story' here is that someone broke the law, got caught, and was deported. Would it have been any more/less justified had instead of it being a cute young girl it was a middle-aged guy? Why should we welcome people to this country whose application to stay is based on a lie? There are plenty of honest people waiting in line to immigrate, let her join the line like everyone else.
Submitted by Savant at 10:47 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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Tragedy for whom ?
The law was applied .. the lady knew the risks she was taking .. and the real tragedy is as usual for the unintended person – her child. This could have been avoided if she were tracked down as soon as her visit visa expired but do we have the resources for this ? And can we have a fair, fast track refugee appeals system ? Last I heard one could bribe their way through etc etc and is a waste of taxpayer money as usual !!
Submitted by ezygoer3 at 10:46 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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So why was she claiming refugee status?
I don't understand why she was claiming refugee status in the first place. I lived in Korea for over a year and I loved it there. Its like my second home now (I get homesick for Korea just thinking about it). South Korea is possibly the best country in Asia to live in and I don't understand why anyone would want to seek refuge from it. Please explain?
Submitted by fatbastard at 10:46 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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there are other reasons for a borken heart
like the plight of the thousands of legal educated immigrants……who are here legally and have played by the book……who will sympathize for them
Submitted by vik kumar at 10:39 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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i have an opinion
Next on the list should be the drug dealers selling on our street corners. By the way it shouldn't take years. I thought the rules were you break the law and your gone.
Submitted by ihaveanopinion at 10:30 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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It is unfortunate that we have to spend so much to get these situations settled. If these illegal “immigrants” want to fight the system please do it from some other country at your own expense not ours, we simply can not afford it anymore.
Submitted by canada first at 10:30 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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Life
Say what you may,life is all about making choices. We sometime make bad choices and must pay the price when caught. Her daughter can return to canada at anytime but for the time beign must live with her mother who had this child in order to stay in canada.If the mother is such a good person then she can get in line and reapply.Jane&finch is full of people who came to canada with no intention of contributing to this country
Submitted by skippie at 10:23 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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Two innocent folks
Mother was probably hardworking and the daughter would have been an asset to Canada, speaking those 5 languages. Government should clean up the crap in our jails and deport some of that instead.
Submitted by Vigliaca at 10:20 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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Heartwrenching ?
Or at least the STar would have us believe that. Come on she's going back to her family. The pressure is off the mom. She doesn't have to hide or worry about her status anymore. But the desc. of the little sun dress and the jail setting is too much. Got caught and got sent home, end of story. She apply legally now.
Submitted by Maxbear at 10:18 AM Sunday, April 26 2009
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