Man who sought refuge in B.C. church continues fight to clear his name
VICTORIA — An El Salvadoran man who spent two years in a British Columbia church to avoid deportation over alleged terrorism links is fighting the federal government in court even though he was granted a special order to stay in Canada.
Jose Figueroa, who is studying law at the University of Victoria, said Tuesday he’ll be in court this week appealing a decision last year that dismissed his request for a certificate from the foreign affairs minister stating he is not on a terrorist list.
Last March, the federal court dismissed Figueroa’s application to compel the minister to provide the certificate based on a United Nations regulation that allows a person to claim not to be a listed terrorist.
Figueroa said he will represent himself Thursday in Vancouver at a Federal Court of Appeal hearing.