A young Romani family has perished while attempting to cross the Saint Lawrence River in a desperate effort to flee Canada for the United States. The couple died along with their children, a two-year-old girl and an 18-month-old boy. The children were Canadian citizens and were born to their parents, Florin and Monalisa Iordache (both age 28) who had been informed they were to be deported to Romania. According to CTV News, their lawyer, Peter Ivanyi, said the family was to have been deported to Romania on 29 March but never showed up for the flight. The Iordaches had filed a request for their deportation to be delayed so one of their children could be examined by a neurologist, but authorities rejected that request. The children, Evelyn and Eylen, were not included in the deportation order because they were both born in Canada and are Canadian citizens. Ivanyi said the family had done their best to find an alternative solution, but after their request for a stay of deportation was rejected, they apparently realized they were out of options. They decided to flee to the United States by crossing the river and tragically died during the risky journey.
