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Two retail workers at Hillside Centre deported

Deportation orders have been issued for two Israeli citizens arrested last week at a store in Hillside Centre mall.
VKA-hillside mall-009.jpg
Two Israeli citizens — both in their early 20s — were arrested at a store in Hillside Centre.

Deportation orders have been issued for two Israeli citizens arrested last week at a store in Hillside Centre mall.

A woman, Tair Penker, and a man, Daniel Shlomo Luchi, both in their early 20s, were taken into custody on July 7, an official with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada said Tuesday.

The board held 48-hour detention reviews and admissibility hearings for each individual on July 9, she said. Penker’s hearing took 20 minutes and Luchi’s 10 minutes.

Both Penker and Luchi received what is called an exclusion order, which means they cannot return to Canada for one year. It was imposed for working without authorization.

After one year, they are allowed to return provided they meet entry and visa requirements. The two were released from detention with terms and conditions. Further details were not revealed.

The board official could not confirm whether Penker and Luchi had left the country.

Canada Border Services Agency said in a statement that the two had been working without authorization at a cosmetics store in the mall. “The decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly,” the statement said.

“The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that removal orders must be enforced as soon as possible. The CBSA is firmly committed to doing so.”

Hillside Centre is owned by Bentall Kennedy. An official said the company was not a position to comment on a tenant’s labour matters.