I think it’s becoming apparent to a lot of us that we need to stop being so soft and instead start taking a more Australian approach to immigration.
Some say, this terrorist shouldn’t have been here. He could have been booted out ages ago.
Never mind the conversation about amending laws and what law he was charged under and whether he got the maximum sentence for his crime - actually none of that matters. Because he could’ve been deported.
What happened is that the authorities tried to kick him out by revoking his refugee status. That predictably got tied up in an appeal and then paused for his criminal case and two years later he committed a knife attack.
According to immigration lawyer Stewart Dalley, Waikato university law professor Al Gillespie and the ACT party, that wasn't the only way to get rid of him.
The authorities didn’t need to go through the rigmarole of stripping his refugee status: they could have simply kicked him while he was still a refugee.
The immigration act section 164 subsection 3 allows a refugee to be deported if they are a national security threat and this guy clearly was.
It didn’t need to go to a tribunal or a court.
The immigration minister could’ve made the decision and asked the Governor General to order the deportation.
Problem solved.
So why didn’t that happen?
Could be that they took alternative advice. Could be that they didn't want to look that unkind.
Deporting a refugee looks harsh.
We’re the country that doesn’t like that kind of thing.
We sniffed at Australia for stripping the jihadi bride’s citizenship.
We judged them for holding asylum seekers in offshore detention camps.
But frankly wouldn’t we rather have a tougher approach like Australia’s and have spared six Kiwis from suffering awful stab wounds?
Yes, New Zealand has obligations to refugees and we should do the right thing.
But not at the expense of the safety of the rest of us who also call this place home.
Our government must primarily keep us safe.
And if that means becoming more hard line like Australia, then good.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
5 comments:
Agree 100%, a government's responsibility is to protect their own citizens. This rabble worry more about UN declarations and Micky Mouse climate change agendas.
You can't get a more clear cut case than this. When the Police are stalking someone 24/7 then you know they must be highly dangerous and need to be put away.
There's probably some UN declaration that we signed which forbids deporting highly dangerous individuals because you may infringe their rights to commit atrocities.
It wouldn't surprise me. And what response do we get from the government. "Well, there's nothing we could do...the law prevented us from protecting NZ citizens".
Hello! Who makes the law - the legislature. That's parliament to you and me. The power to make laws that work sit firmly with the government but they did nothing about it. They knew about this guy years ago. Perhaps they're too busy preparing for Covid press conferences, drafting hate speech laws (not much defense against an extremist with a knife, although if you roll it up tight you could fend him off) and working on He Puapua 2.0 no doubt.
How many others like him are out there? - perhaps our MSM might like to do some investigative journalism and find out.
Whats wrong with holding the minister of immigration responsible, and appoint someone who can do the job?
How much has it cost the taxpayers to shadow this extremist and how many others exist?
Why do these incompetent MP's continually under perform and still draw a taxpayer funded income? The taxpayers have no means to get rid of them - the politicians have made sure they never will!
Soft on immigration, hard on citizens stranded overseas who can't get home. Wrong way round.......
Does NZ not have National Security ruling?
For guys like this one who has cost in the past and will now cost in the future, NZ taxpayers thousands of dollars!
About time Immigration NZ stopping sitting on their hands and doing nothing.
We're losing valuable people because of this incompetent NZI who at last report are 2 years behind in applications.
Any good boss would fire the lot of you!
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