Mexican woman fears deportation flight could kill her

A Mexican woman fears she could die if she boards adeportation flight out of Calgary as ordered by the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA)because she's been warned the change in air pressure mightcause her lung to collapseagain.

Aida CastillaRomerosays she's willing to go home toMonterrey, Mexico, but she wants to do soby land.

"Ialmost died, and if I'm alive it'sbecause of God I think andI've been fighting for my lung and I know it's not subjective, my fear," she said.

Rare lung disease causes them to collapse

Romero, 46,arrived in Calgary ona work permitin mid-January2009to work at a printing and sign company.

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But it wasn't long before shebegan to have some serious medical problems. Her lung collapsed in 2010, sending her tothe emergency department to have asurgical procedure that would re-inflate her lung. It collapsed two more times in a year before she hadsurgery to re-attach thelung.

In between her hospital visits, her work permit expired, along with her Alberta Health Care coverage. Romeroappliedfor a permitextension but was denied. She then applied forstatus as a refugee, but was denied that, too.She was eventuallyordered to leave the country.

She's been diagnosed with a rare disease called pulmonary endometriosis catamenialpneumothorax. It means that tissue from her pelvis migrates up to her lung, causing it to bleed and eventually collapse.

Romero says she didn't have access to a Calgaryphysician who understood herrarecondition, so shesought medical advice back home.

Onelung specialist advised againstflyingbecause he said it could cause her lung to collapse again. Anotherbacked up that claim.Ever since, she hasbeen fighting to defer her deportation flight.

"I'm really afraid because I know that it's not right," saidRomero.

About sixmonths ago, she sought the help of Calgary immigration lawyerBjorn Harsanyito try to negotiate a way for her to travel home by land.

"She thinks she's going to die if she gets on this plane, so she started begging me to help her and see what I can do," said Harsanyi.

Harsanyifailed to convince a federal court to allow her to travel by land. CBSAhad adoctorlook at her files and concluded she was fit to fly.However,Harsanyi did manage to arrange to havea nurse accompany her on the flightand to take a drug that's meant to help reduce some of thesymptoms that might trigger a collapse.

Romero panicked as deportation date loomed

Her final removal date was set for this past Monday. But Harsanyi said as the date neared, Romero started to panic.

"She wasprogressively getting scareder, scareder.Whether it's objectively well founded or not, I'm not a doctor, I won't say whether she's at risk on that plane or not," said Harsanyi.

Butin his concern for Romero, Harsanyi sent an email to CBSA and to Air Canada last Friday telling them about her increased fear andanxiety, and deterioratingmental state.

He says CBSA's response was to send two guards to her door, arrest herand puther in jail over the weekend. Theyfeared she wouldn't get on her flight.

"These are bullies, plain,simple of the worse kind. This is the worse kind of abuse of authority that you can ever envision," said Harsanyi.

"I was hoping they would actually take a genuine look at finding a route back, that they could somehow accommodate this one peculiar circumstance."

Romeroremained in the Calgary Remand Centreuntil Monday, when an adjudicator with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada concluded she wasn't a flight risk. Now she awaits her next scheduled deportation flight.

"It was very bad, it was ahorrible experience. But the worst part was the way they arrested me," said Romero. "She took me against the wall, like a criminal, and then send me to the jail, and my worry was not being able tocommunicate with my family."

Lawyer calls on CBSAto be humanitarian

Harsanyi says CBSA has not made a formal application on Romero's behalf for a visa, which would allow her to travel through the United States. But it iswithin their abilities. And he believes it's the humanitarian thing to do.

"Absolutely, absolutely, I would highlyencourage CBSA, or who the powersthat be, to look into whether she cantravel by land, if that's stillpossible. Itwould have alleviated all the concerns," he said.

"She is not a criminal, she's not dangerous, she's previouslyamultiple-entryvisa holder to the United States.Thereis no good reason thatI can see as to why she would not be allowed to travel by land to Mexico, other than the inconvenience that may be associated with facilitating a removal in that manner."

ButRomero says she will go home by planebecause she has to.

"Why I afraid of flying,you have a collapse, not nurse, evennot doctor can do nothing, you need a thoracotomy in a hospital," said Romero.

A thoracotomy is a surgical procedure that is used to helpre-inflate the lung.

CBC Newssubmitted severalquestions to theCBSA, at first last Friday, and once again on Monday, asking about the agency'sdetainment of Romero, and the potential for a land transfer home.But a spokesperson said the agencycould not respond at this time.