One year after track star Tamarri Lindo was granted a reprieve from deportation, his family is now once again facing the threat of being forced to move back to Jamaica.
Lindo, who is currently in his third year of health studies at York University, holds a gold medal from the 2025 Ontario University Athletics championship in 60-metre hurdles. He says his dream is to go to the Olympics with Canada.
“Ever since I came here, I’ve always wanted to [represent] Canada,” he said. “I can see it … I could even taste it.”
But now, Lindo says his goal seems almost too far away to achieve. His family has an interview scheduled with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at the end of September, when Lindo says they might be told they’re being deported for a lack of status.
“I knew it could happen, but I didn’t expect it to happen,” Lindo said.
Last July, the family was granted a one-year reprieve following public outcry at their possible deportation. Advocacy group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change announced at the time the Lindos received a temporary resident permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Decision is not made lightly, IRCC says
Both the CBSA and the IRCC told CBC Toronto they cannot provide any information on the private details of a specific case but that multiple steps are carried out in the process to ensure “procedural fairness.”
“The timely removal of inadmissible foreign nationals plays a critical role in supporting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system,” the CBSA said in an emailed statement.
The IRCC said all asylum claims are assessed individually and there is no guarantee a claimant will be allowed to remain in Canada.
“We understand that these sort of situations are incredibly difficult and do empathize with the families,” they said in an email to CBC Toronto. “A decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly.”
The IRCC added people subject to removal from Canada may be eligible to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment.
Lindo recalls traumatic experiences
Lindo says the family travelled from Jamaica to Canada six years ago to avoid political persecution. He applied for permanent residency in the last year, but the process can be lengthy.
Lindo’s grandmother was a member of parliament for the official opposition in the Caribbean country. Lindo’s father, George Lindo, also volunteered and helped campaign with the People’s National Party, which is why the family says it’s at-risk.
The track star’s father survived three assassination attempts in Jamaica, a 2024 news release from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change says.
“It gets serious down there when it comes down to [that] stuff,” Lindo said.
He recalls having to go into hiding for a couple of months and his father being chased after in their neighbourhood.
“That was a very traumatic experience. Even when I came up to Canada for the first time, I was very paranoid. I had to be looking over my shoulders every time because I was so uncertain and very scared for a very long time,” he said.
‘I really love Canada’
The family’s immigration lawyer, Aidan Simardone, said the family is facing a serious risk.
“There’s two sides of it. One is the risk you face going back to your own country. The other is your ties to Canada,” he said. “If someone who is facing a death sentence in their home country in Jamaica and is winning gold for Canada … cannot stay in Canada, I don’t know who can.”
Lindo says he received word of the new deportation threat as soon as he came back from competing in the Canada Summer Games.
“Knowing that this could potentially happen has really played a big part [in] my mental health. When I compete, I can’t focus properly,” he said.
Lindo says he’s hopeful people will continue speaking out about his case and reaching out to members of parliament, saying the situation is heartbreaking.
“I really love Canada,” he said. “This is the safest place for us to be right now.”
“I’d have to give up on so many things that I’ve built here and so many things that I’ve wanted to achieve here.”
