Australian citizen 'accidentally' deported.

Poststructural Pub
1

Some weeks ago I reported that an Australian citizen suffering from a serious mental illness had been detained for 9 months in a detention centre for illegal immigrants, even though everybody but the authorities seemed aware that something was seriously wrong. At the time it generated some anger and astonishment but not much discussion; I don’t suppose even the most right-wing denizen of this board could defend that sort of negligence.

It’s happened again. This time Australian immigration officials have deported a mentally ill Australian citizen to the Philippines, even though she hadn’t been there in 20 years. So far, attempts to locate her have failed.

Here is the story:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15204373%255E2702,00.html

Let me just say that there seems to be little doubt that the Australian Government demonises illegal immigrants because it tends to go down well with the electorate. The government has discovered that most of the electorate is more concerned with their own economic status than with the plight of the stateless and homeless and that they please more than they alienate with tough-guy policies. People here are so smug and self-satisfied that a lot genuinely seem to think that refugees are only pretending to be homeless.

People involved in immigration have reported government pressure to be seen to be getting results. Detentions and deportations are ‘results.’ I’m currently sponsering a refugee. I can say from first hand experience that every possible obstacle was put in my way to deter me from being so antisocial as to try to help a refugee. Currently they have ‘lost’ $3,000 of my money and can’t give me any information as to whether my refugee has or hasn’t entered the country. Incredible. They always seem on the ball at tax time, at least when i owe them money.

2

When I was younger, I spent a day or so in a refugee camp, as an American in the Philippine Islands, assigned to spend the day with a couple of families and help, however meagerly I could, to give them a little acculturation, before they, hopefully, were able to make it to the West.

One family I was assigned to, was a Vietnamese family, who had a grown son among them, a blue-eyed white man, the son of an American soldier. They were fleeing the prejudice of society against such a person, but also, I’m sure, in the hopes that he could be united with his father.

Another family that I spent time with was devoutly Roman Catholic. They were the kindest people I met among the refugees. They were fleeing in hopes of being allowed to practice their faith in freedom.

I hope and pray that all of them made it to freedom.

3

Bless you both.

Too often these days the word ‘immigrant’ is used to mean something scarey, evil and out-to-get-you.

I am not in favor of allowing illegal immigrants, but I am very much in favor of legal immigration.

It’s a shame that so many people cannot even imagine themselves in such a situation. For most of us, it wasn’t too far back down the family tree that someone in our line was in a similar postiion of needing a new homeland.

I thoroughly disagree with the assertion that people are somehow less than human, and need not be treated with any respect until they jump through a long series of flaming hoops.

Here’s an interesting site… with good and bad … on immigration in the US http://www.numbersusa.com/index

4

That is craziness on a big platter.