Former asylum seeker steadfast about clearing his name looks to Supreme Court
VANCOUVER — An El Salvadoran asylum seeker who became a permanent Canadian resident after spending two years in sanctuary in a British Columbia church is looking to the Supreme Court of Canada to clear his “tarnished” name following another legal loss.
Writing for a three-judge panel, Justice Mark Noel of the Federal Appeal Court scuttled Jose Figueroa’s most recent court bid to receive a certificate from Canada’s minister of foreign affairs declaring that the man is not a terrorist.
“I am still in the process of evaluating the steps that I need to be taking in the near future, but for certain … I do need to take this to the Supreme Court,” Figueroa, 50, said in an interview on Tuesday.
Austin Jean, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, confirmed in an email the government was aware of the court decision made last Thursday but declined further comment.