It’s now been two years for José Figueroa.
That’s two years of watching his three children grow up in snippets during weekend visits.
Two years of not being able to work to support his family, as he had been doing for the previous decade and a half.
Two years of worrying that he will be separated from his wife and children, should the courts uphold an order to send him back to his native El Salvador.
Two years of staring at the same walls — with no opportunity to step outside those walls for a breath of fresh air.
To avoid deportation, the Langley man essentially sentenced himself to an indefinite prison term when he sought sanctuary inside Walnut Grove Lutheran Church on Oct. 4, 2013.
As that church community has continued to support him, both physically and spiritually, Figueroa’s circle of backers has continued to grow, both within Langley and beyond its borders. Public support in the form of the We Are José campaign, sprang up even before an arrest warrant sent Figueroa into hiding.
Langley MP Mark Warawa has also spoken out in support of José. And on Sept. 28, Langley City council stepped outside its regular duties to take a stand on the issue, officially supporting Figueroa’s appeal to the minister of public safety and emergency preparedness and asking him to direct the CBSA to cancel Figueroa’s arrest warrant.
All of that support should cause the CBSA to reflect on its motives. What is to be gained by labeling a productive member of society a terrorist, based on a peripheral involvement with an organization that fought to overthrow a violent dictatorship — an organization that now forms the recognized government of El Salvador.
It’s time for the CBSA to stop dragging its heels and admit that, in this case, a mistake has been made.
While it’s unlikely anything can or will be done to resolve the issue before Thanksgiving, perhaps for the first time in two years, José could be home for Christmas.