Up to 80,000 people from various visa categories could potentially be expelled to third countries under the Albanian government’s migration bill that legal experts, advocates and former refugees have criticized.
The Albanian government has not detailed which countries it has been in talks with in a bill that was approved by the House of Representatives and examined in a Senate inquiry on Thursday.
The proposed amendments to the Migration Law seek to deport non-citizens, including not only those convicted of crimes, and to pay those third countries for their participation in the expulsion regime.
It would also grant broad immunity to government officials and those in third countries involved in expulsions, as well as reversing protection decisions for refugees.
The amendments come after a landmark ruling found that indefinite detention of immigrants was illegal, leading to the release of about 200 noncitizens with various criminal offenses.
The released detained immigrants, known as the NZYQ cohort, were fitted with ankle monitors and imposed curfews.
The High Court in early November struck down a case brought by a stateless Eritrean refugee known as YBFZ, calling it punitive and an overreach on the part of the government that led the government to rush this bill.
Under questioning by Liberal Senator James Paterson, Home Affairs officials revealed that 10 people had had ankle monitors and curfews reimposed.
Up to 80,000 people from various visa categories could be expelled to third countries under the Albanian government’s migration bill. Mr. Albanese appears in the photo.
President-elect Donald Trump (pictured) has confirmed his intention to launch a mass deportation effort as soon as he takes office on January 20, 2025.
Greens senator David Shoebridge then lobbied First Under Secretary for Immigration Compliance Michael Thomas to also determine which categories of non-citizen visa holders would be affected.
Mr Thomas said 4,452 people on Bridging Visa E, 986 in immigration detention, 193 in community detention, 246 on Bridging Visa R from the NZYQ cohort, another 96 people also on the same visa and potentially “a fluid cohort” of Up to 75,400 people could be included.
Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster was questioned about who would be affected by the legislation.
‘Have you informed one or both of the (immigration) ministers (Tony Burke and deputy minister Matt Thistlewaite) that this legislation covers more than 80,000 people, well outside the NZYQ cohort?’ the senator asked.
“We certainly explained what the definition of the removal pathway was for non-citizens… my understanding is that ministers have an understanding of the broader cohort,” Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster responded.
At the beginning of the hearing, former Manus Island detainee and award-winning Iranian-Kurdish writer Behrouz Boochani spoke of the draconian nature of the bill if passed.
He said his experience in Papua New Guinea indicated the type of countries Australia would be negotiating with to deport non-citizens.
“Based on this bill, they are going to send them to another country to start over and we know that those countries that they are going to send people to can detain them, deport them and torture them,” he said. .
“What Australia has done is banish refugees so they are out of sight and out of mind.”
He pleaded with senators to reject the bill.
‘I know that most senators in Australia, probably many of them, have never met a refugee… in their lives. You haven’t met them but they are people. Try to imagine who they are. They are simply human beings.’