The federal government has granted residency status to a Roma family that had lived under “sanctuary” protection in Windermere United Church, Toronto, for 18 months.
Arif Virani, parliamentary secretary to Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, told the jubilant congregation on Feb. 7 that the Pusuma family was now free to return to Canada.
“Advocacy works and you just proved it,” Virani declared.
The Pusuma family—Jozsef, Timea, and their infant daughter Viktoria (known as Lulu)—fled their native Hungary after white supremacists attacked them with baseball bats in front of their home. Jozsef had been a volunteer with a human rights hotline investigating hate crimes in Hungary against Roma.
When their Canadian lawyer mishandled their application, the family was denied refugee status and slated for deportation. A Catholic refugee advocacy group working on behalf of the family issued an urgent appeal for a congregation to offer “sanctuary.” Windermere United agreed to take the family in.
The efforts of the citywide interfaith support network were crucial. The network raised funds for the family and launched a “Free Lulu” campaign that received wide media coverage. Meanwhile, the Pusuma family lived inside the church, using the parish kitchen and living in what had been the minister’s office, converted into a tiny, one-room apartment. When the former Minister of Immigration refused to reopen the Pusumas’ case, the family felt there was no choice but to leave Canada and they were deported to Hungary.
In a sermon, Rev. Alexa Gilmour told the congregation, “We have seen God’s light shining through the Pusumas’ story.” She concluded with a quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”
