K'JIPUKTUK (Halifax) - A small group of Haligonians gathered at Victoria Park across from the Public Gardens on Tuesday to protest the imminent deportation of Salvadoran refugee Jose Figueroa, who together with his wife entered Canada over fifteen years ago.

During a long and very violent civil war in El Salvador that ended in 1992 Figueroa was a member of the FMLN, an umbrella opposition group that fought the ruthless military junta that held power at the time.

Figueroa and his wife fled to Canada in the aftermath of the civil war, not feeling safe in El Salvador.

His three children are born here and hold Canadian citizenship. His wife is not at risk of deportation.

Figueroa is subject to the deportation order because of his former membership in the FMLN. The Canadian government considers the FMLN to have been a terrorist organization.

After the deportation order was issued, Figueroa, a resident of British Columbia, sought sanctuary in a church in Langley, British Columbia.

Ruth Bishop, member of the group We Are Jose and organizer of the Halifax event, is puzzled by the reasoning of the Canadian government.

"He was a student leader with the FMLN, and the government has decided that this is a terrorist organization. In fact the current democratically elected government in El Salvador is FMLN," said Bishop.

"He is considered a threat against national security, yet this a man who has never broken a law in Canada, never been to jail, and as far as I know never held arms in El Salvador," Bishop added.

Demonstrations were also held in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto and El Salvador in support Figueroa's appeal, that occurred today.

The We Are Jose Facebook group reports that as a result of the appeal on Tuesday Figueroa was granted a temporary stay of deportation.