News Release

Teachers and community members rally around sick 6-year-old Canadian citizen facing deportation 

Edmonton – Community members, teachers and healthcare providers are speaking up as Canadian citizen, 6 year old McKenna Rose, faces deportation  to the Philippines on July 8, 2022, with her mom Evangeline (Vangie) Cayanan. Mckenna needs ongoing healthcare that she won’t be able to access if she is deported. 

McKenna is diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other medical conditions that require special attention and minimal stress. Her pending deportation has thrown McKenna into crisis which will get worse if she’s deported to a place where she doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t know anyone and she has never been to. Vangie is a community leader who has been in Canada for over 12 years. She is a former migrant worker who was harassed, abused and assaulted by her employer. Despite being undocumented , she waged a campaign for McKenna, and other Canadian citizen children of undocumented people, to access healthcare. She won. In 2017, Alberta extended access to healthcare to McKenna and others. As a result, she was granted the Human Rights Award from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. Vangie continues to support migrants, through Migrante Alberta’s Serve The People project which delivers care packages to precarious workers and other undocumented migrants impacted by COVID-19. 

Over 2,000 people have signed a petition in the last week: https://www.migrantealberta.ca/stopthedeportation 

WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2022, 10am Alberta; 9am Vancouver, 12pm Toronto

WHERE: 10045 155 St NW, Edmonton Room 296; and Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUod-2urz0vHNeLOonC13_T5XZdU-rMGV3C (Advanced registration required) 

WHO: McKenna Rose, Vangie Cayanan, and teachers and community members calling for an end to deportation for McKenna Rose, and full and permanent immigration status for all.