Eight out of the 11 individuals seeking asylum who were sent to Nauru in September, including a woman and child, have gone back to their home country.
In October, Guardian Australia exposed the transfer. It was the first time in nine years that Australia had sent anyone to the regional processing center. This happened only a few months after the last group of asylum seekers were taken out of the Pacific country.
After the transfer, there was increased attention given to the arrival of boats since Labor’s election in May 2022. This includes an additional nine boats that were returned to their country of origin.
The responses to inquiries and the latest update on Operation Sovereign Borders in November 2023 reveal that an additional 12 individuals, discovered on the coast of Western Australia, have been transferred to Nauru.
The home affairs department has verified that those who arrived in September have been relocated to Nauru via air travel, passing through Australia briefly on September 7, 2023.
This action was carried out “in accordance with established procedures outlined in [Operation Sovereign Borders]” following evaluations of health, identity, and screening.
The Department performs initial screenings to prevent the illegal expulsion of asylum seekers with valid claims for protection, which would violate Australia’s obligations under international law.
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On November 3rd, the department reported that 8 out of 11 individuals categorized as “unauthorized maritime arrivals” had chosen to return to their home countries on their own accord. However, they declined to disclose any specific information about the group’s whereabouts or provide additional details.
On November 3, all minors on Nauru had left, as the last child in the group returned home. The three individuals who remained were detained at regional processing centre 1 and will stay on Nauru until their immigration status is determined or they choose to leave, according to the department.
Ogy Simic, the advocate director at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, expressed worry about the significant lack of transparency and information given to the Australian public regarding the groups relocated to Nauru in September and November.
According to Simic, the responses do not provide any details on the whereabouts of the eight asylum seekers or the procedures that were used in their return.
I was deeply troubled to learn that the first group sent to Nauru included a child. The government’s refusal to address inquiries about the situation on Nauru contradicts their previous demands for more openness while in opposition.
Senator Nick McKim from the Greens party has expressed concern about the lack of transparency.
The annual cost of operating the Nauru processing centre is estimated to be $350 million, although it has decreased since the number of asylum seekers on the island exceeded 1,000.
The decrease in funding for the regional processing center was connected to Nauru’s choice to cut ties with Taiwan and adopt a one-China policy, according to reports.
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The Australian government refuted any alterations to the regional processing agreements. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed that the success in lowering the expenses of offshore detention is beneficial for Australian taxpayers.
Between May 2022 and August 2023, nine maritime people-smuggling ventures resulted in the return of 250 individuals to their country of origin or departure, Sri Lanka or Indonesia. The department stated that all of these individuals were safely returned and that 238 of them underwent an “on-water/enhanced screening assessment.”
Between August 2018 and August 2023, Australia’s onshore immigration detention facilities reported a total of 17 deaths. Two of these deaths occurred during the 2022-23 fiscal year.
According to the responses, Andrew Giles, the immigration minister, has granted 89 residence decisions, permitting individuals in onshore detention to be released into community detention.
The response to Liberal Senator Paul Scarr’s inquiry shows that 27 individuals had their visas revoked due to various offenses, such as sexual offenses, assault, and fraud.
The department of home affairs stated that considering someone’s residence is still a type of immigration detention.
According to the statement, the detainees have the freedom to move around in the community, but they must live at a designated address and follow certain rules, such as reporting and behaving properly.
Labor has faced criticism for their actions following the high court’s NZYQ ruling, which stated that detaining non-citizens indefinitely is illegal if deportation is not an option. This has also brought attention to the number of people-smuggling attempts to Australia.
Prior to the decision made in November 2023, the Albanese administration was discreetly releasing detainees with low-risk profiles in an effort to address the “intractable” backlog of individuals in immigration detention, as acknowledged by the department.
Guardian Australia reached out to Clare O’Neil, the home affairs minister, for a statement.
Source: theguardian.com
