UNDER THE GUN

Raymond Family Faces Deportation -- And Death, Says Former Cop

RAYMOND -- Miguel Azzarello knows with absolute certainty that he is a
marked man.

If Canadian immigration officials force him to return to Argentina,
Azzarello -- a former police officer in that country -- says he will
be killed.

"If I had stayed in my own country, I wouldn't be here any longer and
my children would have lost their father," he says, tears welling up
in his eyes. "I am going to fight and do everything I can (to stay in
Canada). I know I will be killed (if sent back to South America), I'm
sure of that."

The Azzarello family were allowed into Canada at the Coutts crossing
June 26, 2003. Since then, they have been taking all legal steps
available to them to obtain the status which will allow them to stay.
If they return to Argentina, "I would be in danger," says Azzarello.

Azzarello and his wife have work permits and are working; they have
also completed more than 300 hours of volunteer service in the community.

The family's most recent communication from Canada's Immigration and
Refugee Board states their refugee application has been denied and
they must voluntarily leave the country on or before July 30 or face
deportation. Meanwhile, they have applied for permanent residence
based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

"We want to be a blessing to Canada, not a problem," he says. "I
believe that I had no choice but to remove my family from Argentina
and that had we stayed anywhere in the country, the warning I received
would have resulted in my death and my family would have been subject
to similar dangers."

Azzarello joined Argentina's federal police force in 1993. In November
of that year, he was involved in a drug sting operation known as El
Tronador. Two of the people arrested in that operation threatened him.

By September 1998, threats against him and his family had escalated
and he began to investigate some of the people involved. He learned
the man behind many of the threats had a lengthy criminal record, was
involved with organized crime and was connected to the police through
different corrupt contacts.

"The death threats continued at home and my wife was becoming
increasingly frightened," Azzarello wrote in his application. "It was
becoming quite apparent to both of us that this was more than just
empty threats, but they were taking on a very serious and urgent
nature." In January 2000, their home was vandalized with paint
including a written threat "to be careful with your children."

In August 2001, while on duty near his home, one of Azzarello's
supervisors told him there had been a serious accident involving his
son Miguel and to go straight home.

About a block from his home, another vehicle approached Azzarello's
car, forcing him to stop.

"One of the occupants began to call out to me, insulting me, and
making other remarks about my religion. I saw him pull out his gun and
he began to shoot at me, but his gun misfired," he wrote. "This
allowed me enough time to get behind a pile of dirt. . . which is
where the second shell hit. I returned fire. Citizens in the public
started to come out and see what was going on. The car and its
occupants left."

When he got home, he found his son was unharmed; there had been no
accident.

At the end of August, he asked for a transfer, was denied and, on the
same day, another police officer "told me that my days were numbered
because of all of my investigations and information on the drug trade."

In September 2001, a trusted friend and fellow police officer "told me
I needed to leave the country as my family and I were in great danger."

He and his family left Argentina Nov. 27, 2001 on the pretense of
going on vacation in the United States. The following December, the
friend who had warned him to leave was killed. Subsequently, two other
officers -- both close friends of Azzarello -- were also killed. The
family remained, illegally, in the U.S. until coming to Canada.