Public Statement for Social Media

URGENT: My Wife and Four Children Are Facing Deportation — Please Help Us Stay Together

My name is Marri Michael, and I am begging for help from compassionate Canadians. My wife, Nonhlanhla Hazel Mboweni, and our four children are facing deportation from Canada, even though we are still in the middle of a judicial review of our refugee case.

I fled Nigeria in 2006 after threats to my life. I later lived in South Africa, where I became a target during the xenophobic attacks in 2019. Fearing for our lives, my wife and I crossed into Canada on April 12, 2019, with our two South African‑born children to seek safety. Since then, we have also had two children born here in Canada.

Despite the dangers we fled and the risks we still face, our refugee claim was rejected. Now, the Canada Border Services Agency has detained my wife and is preparing to deport her and our children at any moment. If they are sent to South Africa with Nigerian identities, they will face discrimination, anti‑foreigner violence, and denial of basic services like schooling and healthcare.

I am terrified of losing my family. I am terrified for my children’s safety. I am pleading with Canadians, journalists, human rights advocates, and anyone who believes in protecting families to help us.

Please share our story. Please help us stop this deportation before it is too late.

We just want to stay together and keep our children safe.

Marri Michael,
[Email Address]