Indian students facing deportation from Prince Edward Island (PEI) in Canada have escalated their protest, now entering a full hunger strike. The protest, which began on May 9, has involved Indian students demonstrating against recent immigration cuts.
The protestors, who have already been on a hunger strike for four days, will now abstain from both food and fluids for 24 hours starting May 28.
A change in provincial immigration laws has led to the deportation threat for hundreds of Indian students, with about 50 students already having left Canada. The PEI government decided to reduce the number of workers eligible for permanent residency in 2024 from around 2,100 to 1,600, citing strain on the province’s healthcare and housing systems.
Hunger and thirst protest is still going strong, even in the rain. #protestpei2024 pic.twitter.com/4uVP9D6uEC
— Big Onald (@SamJensen541638) May 28, 2024
This 25 per cent cut in nominations through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has been met with approval by many PEI locals.
The Indian students, however, feel this decision has unfairly disrupted their lives and opportunities. Jaspreet Singh Sivia, one of the protestors, criticized the government for its lack of response. “There have been no actions taken. It looks like the government has become deaf,” Sivia said.
“We will be doing a 24-hour dry hunger strike effective Tuesday if we still don’t hear from the government officials. We will be there 24/7, every day.”
Despite the health risks, the students are determined to continue their protest until their demands are met. They are calling for an exemption from the immigration cuts for those who arrived in Canada before July 2023.
Rupinder Pal Singh, another protestor, mentioned the challenges they have faced, including harassment from some individuals. “There are some people who have been harassing us … throwing glasses, cans at us, throwing water while people were asleep,” Singh said.
“We even saw the harassment from people shouting, making noise all night long because we have been protesting outside, people have been sleeping.”
Charlottetown police are monitoring the situation. Deputy Chief Sean Coombs stated that patrol officers are keeping an eye on the protest. “We have not received any medical distress calls through our dispatch to this location. We have a designated officer who remains in contact with this group and has open dialogue. The group remains peaceful and respectful of rules and law,” Coombs told CBC.
The protestors have garnered support from the opposition. Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly described the situation as “very unfair” and advocated for the immigrants to be treated with more respect and listened to.
Green MLA Peter Bevan-Baker expressed his shame over the province’s actions, stating, “I’m ashamed that the province who welcomed these folks here had a set of rules — legitimate, perfectly reasonable rules — laid out to which all of these people complied fully. Then, without any warning, changed those rules to the point now where those whose work permits are expiring, their choices are very limited.”
The Indian students’ protest, which started with 60 participants in front of the Coles Building at the PEI legislature, will now move permanently to the protest site starting May 28. They continue to fight for fair opportunities and exemptions from the recent immigration cuts.
