David Farrar: The solution is to deport quicker

The Herald reports:

Daman Kumar – the 18-year-old threatened with deportation to India despite living in New Zealand all his life – has been offered residency.

Green Party immigration spokesman Ricardo Menéndez March told the Herald he was informed of the development by Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk’s office this afternoon.

Menéndez March wrote to the minister last week, urging him to intervene and give Kumar and his parents residency.

However, Menéndez March said Kumar’s parents, who have been overstaying in New Zealand for about 24 years, will still be made to leave.

“We are disappointed he has chosen to separate the family,” the MP said.

The decision not to deport Daman Kumar is the right one. He has spent 18 years here and broken no laws. The decision to deport his parents is also correct – they should not be rewarded for breaking the law.

The real solution is not to allow people illegally in New Zealand to remain here for decades. If every overstayer was deported within say 24 months, then you wouldn’t have these cases.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.