Sign in Subscribe
Deportation

Australia Passes Law to Streamline Deportations to Small Island Nations

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Australian lawmakers have passed a law to quickly deport hundreds of people to small island nations, including Nauru, where they can be held indefinitely in limbo. This move echoes the policies of US President Donald Trump and draws on approaches pioneered by Australia itself. The law comes as Australia reached a deal with Nauru to send deportees to the island nation, which has long played a role in Australia's migration policy. The deal adds deportees whose asylum claims have been denied due to past criminal convictions, who are stateless, or who fear persecution.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new law in Australia aims to limit court appeals by those facing deportation, allowing the government to remove individuals to a third country without providing them with a meaningful opportunity to respond.
  • Australia has agreed to pay Nauru $1.62 billion over 30 years, which is more than $100,000 per current resident of Nauru.
  • The deal with Nauru is expected to host at least 280 people from a cohort of noncitizens in Australia whose visas were canceled on "character grounds."
  • The influence of Australia's policies on other countries' migration policies is evident, with Trump's administration incorporating similar ideas in its own policies.
  • Experts say that the "third-country deportation" approach pioneered by Australia has been adopted by other countries, including the US, and has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.

Statistics:

  • $1.62 billion: The amount Australia is expected to pay Nauru over 30 years under the new deal.
  • 280: The minimum number of people from a cohort of noncitizens in Australia whose visas were canceled on "character grounds" that Nauru has agreed to take in.
  • $100,000: The amount Australia is paying per current resident of Nauru, according to figures cited by the Australian Senate.
  • 13,000: The population of Nauru, one of the world's smallest countries.
  • 1991: The year when the US looked to house asylum seekers in other countries in the region, approaching Honduras and Venezuela.

Sources:

  • The Washington Post
  • Australian Senate hearing
  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  • Detention Watch Network
  • Georgetown University
  • The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
  • The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Read more