He fled civil war in Ivory Coast and landed in Quebec in 2016. Staying has been a struggle since

UPDATE: A Federal Court judge suspended Mamadou Konat'sdeportation on Sept. 30until the courts can assess the risks involved with sending him back to Ivory Coast.

Konat's laywer, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, said this is the third time Konat's deportation has beensuspended something rarely seen in Canada. Konatstill doesn't have status in Canada.

Sept. 30 could be Mamadou Konat's last day in Canada, after nearly seven years of fighting for his right to stay in the country.

Konat's story is by now well-known in Quebecwhere he cleaned the rooms ofCOVID-positive patients at three long-term care homes, sorted trash in waste management centres and felled trees for Hydro-Qubec in remote parts of the province.

His story surfaced in media at the height of the pandemic, when it was revealed that Quebec's health-care networkincluding its beleaguered long-term care homeswas being propped up by hundreds of migrant workers whose status in Canada remained uncertain.

Konatfled civil war in his home country ofIvory Coastand bounced between refugee camps in neighbouring countries before landing in Canada in February 2016.

"With everything we've done, all the procedures and applications, all the sacrifices I've made in this country, to get this kind of news, it's sad. It's unfair," Konatsaid over the phone this week from his work as a janitor at a Montreal university.

When he arrived in 2016, Konat's refugeeclaim was rejected under a section of the federal Immigration Act, which states that anyone who participated in the overthrowing of a government cannot seek residency in Canada.

He was part of a movement tooverthrow former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo.Konatsays he deserted the movement and went into hiding, and he believes he could be killed or tortured in retaliation if he returns to Ivory Coast.

Immigration Lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who happens to be running as the Qubec Solidaire candidate for Saint-HenriSainte-Annein the upcoming provincial election, took up Konat's case earlier this month.

Cliche-Rivard said he took on the case before finding out the removal date issued by the CBSAwould be four days before the Oct. 3 election.

"But when I say yes to someone, I say yes 100 per cent, so it was very clear to me that my personal or professional desires to be elected should not go against or in contradiction of those principles," Cliche-Rivard said.

"I'm doing everything I can to give him status here."

Cliche-Rivardsays he still has hope Konat's deportation date could be deferred, at least until Quebec's Immigration Ministry takes a look at his case, which could take years.

The lawyer has filed an application for a pre-removal risk assessment, typically the last ditch effort available in Canadian immigration law to prevent or delay someone's removal from the country.

In the application, he submitted a report from the Amnesty International office in Ivory Coast, which studied Konat's case and determined he would be arrested and tortured upon his return.

The last time an examination was made of the risks involved inKonat's return was in 2018, according to Cliche-Rivard, who said they have evolved since then.

Since then, Konat shared his support for presidential hopeful Guillaume Soro on social media, increasing the likelihood of him being a target, Cliche-Rivard said.

Over the nearly seven yearsKonat has lived in Quebec, he has developed close friendships despite working long hours to pay for his immigration proceedings. He and those friendsmeet for supper and weekend activities. He said he's embarrassed by the stress those proceedings take up in his life.

"I'm not a criminal. I work here, I live here, I have friends, I speak French," Konat said. "What kind of immigrant are they looking for?"

Konat, his friends, Cliche-Rivard and migrant rights' groups will hold a demonstration Thursday morning at 10 a.m. outside the federal immigration offices on St-Antoine Street in Montrealto protest his deportation.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.