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Press release<\/em><\/p>\n Art Action at Denis Coderre’s Electoral Campaign Office: Undocumented Migrants and Refugees Call for Solidarity City<\/strong><\/p>\n Montreal, October 31, 2021 — An art action by undocumented community members and allies at Denis Coderre’s electoral campaign office reminds municipal candidates that undocumented migrants are vital members of the Montreal community and that they are here to stay! <\/p>\n The messages left outside Coderre\u2019s office represent the \u2018platform of undocumented migrants\u2019 in the context of Montreal\u2019s municipal elections. They call for a life with dignity and without exploitation, without fear and stigmatization, as well as immediate, full civil rights including dignified work, housing, food, health, and safety! <\/p>\n When Denis Coderre was the Federal Minister of Immigration, he deported tens of thousands of people. When he was Montreal\u2019s mayor, he tweeted to declare Montreal a sanctuary city in an irresponsible manner without taking any steps to concretize it. In 2020, the City of Montreal adopted a resolution supporting the regularization of all non-status people, but no steps were taken by the Plante administration to concretize this resolution. In the context of municipal elections, our action reminds candidates of the everyday struggle faced by undocuments migrants and the measures that can be implemented at the municipal level to provide us with dignity and security.<\/p>\n \u201cOur voices are ignored by politicians at all levels. We are here to say to all municipal candidates that we want a Solidarity City and a Sanctuary City to reduce the precarity that we live in as undocumented members of the community. We want to see real action to implement the resolutions and tweets of self-serving politicians,\u201d said Mahdi, of Solidarity Across Borders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in daily fear of the Montreal Police (SPVM) arresting us and handing us over to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) for detention and deportation. We keep our heads down and are forced to accept abuse and exploitation for this reason,\u201d added Miriam of Solidarity Across Borders, for whom the CBSA issued an arrest warrant after her refugee claim was refused.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beyond comprehension that in the times of a labour shortage, the city doesn\u2019t take any measures to allow undocumented migrants to work in some measure of safety,\u201d said Faride, of Solidarity Across Borders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are many thousands of undocumented migrants in Montreal, and the city can provide a real identity card, like that in New York City, so that we can have access to all services and the same rights as everyone else . But for that to happen without fear, the SPVM must stop collaborating with the CBSA, ,\u201d said Miriam of Solidarity Across Borders.<\/p>\n \u201cWe demand a solidarity city, to live in dignity, security and without fear. Ultimately, we demand regularization for all,\u201d stated Mahdi.<\/p>\n