Immigrant children fight for their voices to be heard

A 14-year-old London, Ont. girl is leading the charge to give immigrant children a say in their futures.

“With our voices, they never ask us, ‘How do we feel? What do we want?’” said Luna Ortiz.

Along with family and friends, Luna has started an organization called Immigrant Children’s Voices Also Count (ICVAC).

The native of Colombia came up with the concept after her 11-year-old sister, Sofia, became upset she could not at tell her story during an immigration meeting.

She said Sofia wanted to share her anxiety as her family waits to find out if they can stay in Canada.

“She cries at night. She has depression and stress. And we know that all the kids that are immigrants feel the same way," Luna shared.

Since February, Luna has worked on creating ICVAC. Her efforts include a detailed mission statement and a social media presence on multiple platforms using the username @immchildvoices.

A photo from Luna Ortiz's Instagram page. (Source: @immchildvoices/Instagram)It has been a slower start than she had hoped, but ICVAC has secured a meeting with her local MP later this month.

Ultimately, the new organization wants a meeting with Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser.

From there, the group hopes the government will fund community hubs for immigrant children to meet and receive support.

They also want politicians to push for new ways to include children in all aspects of the immigration process.

Citing the potential deportation of her own family, Luna said it is not fair to be locked out of any process. She said her family feels unsafe to return to Colombia.

“We lose hope. And that’s not okay. Because we are kids, and we have to start a life,” she said.

The Ortiz family is seen in their London, Ont. home on July 10, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) Luna’s mother, Elizabeth, is proud of her daughter’s efforts but fears time is running out for anyone to listen.

“It is a very hard time. Some of us are very sad and we feel hopeless,” she shared through Luna’s translation.

But if given a voice, Luna said kids could express, through their own words, why they wish to stay in Canada and become Canadian.

“When we come here, we started to be alive, free, and happy,” she explained.

CTV News London reached out to the Immigration and Refuge Board for comment. However, citing privacy they declined an interview.