Current Events > Norway set to deport teenager to country she's never visited

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sad.

For Taibah Abbasi, the goal was always the same: school.

When she was 9 years old, she remembers staring out the window in Tehran. The longing she felt was painful.

"It was so hard to watch the other children and especially girls wearing their uniforms and going to school and I was just staying back at the window," Taibah recalled to ABC News on a recent afternoon, at a burger joint in Trondheim, Norway. She didn't even know what those little Iranian girls did when they arrived at the school building, but she wanted to join.

She asked herself at the time, "Have I not the right to go to school? Are we not the same?"

They were not, she learned, the same under Iranian law.

As an Afghan refugee born in Iran, her education during those years consisted of reading children's books with her mother, and occasionally attending an informal class with other refugee children in someone's home. At the age of 12, Taibah had never seen the inside of a proper classroom.

She's now a senior at Thora Storm High School in Trondheim. Six years after setting foot inside a real school, she's staring at a future on the outside, again.

The Norwegian Immigration Board of Appeals has revoked Taibah's refugee status and residency permit. In a letter seen by ABC News, the Norwegian government has issued her immediate deportation orders to Afghanistan -- a country she has never been to. Taibah now has less than a week to leave the country or they will forcibly deport her.

Taibah arrived in Norway in 2012 alongside her 14 year-old brother, Yassin. Traveling on foot, the small 12-year-old girl cried most of the way through Europe. Her brother, forced into the role of protector, promised her they'd find a new life where she could go to school.

Yassin, now 20, told ABC News, "I did everything I could to help her along, keep her happy on the way. I just told her, we are going to have a happy life and we are going to a place where you can study, and make friends."

When they arrived as unaccompanied minors, the two children were granted refugee status and residency permits immediately. A couple months later, the rest of the family arrived and they began life in Trondheim, Norway's third largest city. It's a beautiful coastal, progressive city, near the middle of the country with a population of 200,000.

Taibah learned the language quickly and like a normal teenager, got a job at a burrito restaurant after school.

Nearly six years later, Taibah feels a mix of betrayal and bewilderment. Thinking back on the day she entered the country, she was relieved. And hopeful.

Her immigration lawyer, Erik Vatne, said they have exhausted the legal options in Norway. When the family's status was revoked, they appealed to the Immigration Board of Appeals. Denied, they took the case to the District Court and won. But the government appealed that decision to the High Court and the Abbasi family lost their case.

"This is a family who has lived in Norway for six years who have done exactly what the Norwegian authorities have been telling them to do. They have learned the language, they have gone to school, they have been working, they have been part of the local community," Vatne said.

Vatne said the High Court's decision not only goes against international law but also again Norwegian law. In short, "the decision is illegal."

"As a Norwegian, I feel ashamed. .. And as a lawyer, I would say I'm shocked," he added.

Full article:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/norway-set-deport-teenager-war-zone/story?id=53388009

Good job Norway.
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Why was her family's status revoked, and isn't she going back with them?
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fucked up
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Liberals trying to figure out how to pin this on Trump
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voldothegr8 posted...

Liberals trying to figure out how to pin this on Trump

what motivates someone to shitpost this much?
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Afghan immigration to Iran is a big issue and they're often treated like second-class citizens or used as disposable grunts to do Iran's bidding in Syria. It's pretty outrageous Norway is sending her to Afghanistan if she was born in Iran.

I didn't read the whole article but why are they sending her to Afghanistan? And why did she come from Iran as a refugee, which is an oppressive but stable country?
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makes no sense. they let criminals stay in the country. but they deport her. and the lawyer said it was illegal. something smells fishy. I think there is a conspiracy about this girl to get rid of her.

Pow Pow Punishment posted...

Afghan immigration to Iran is a big issue and they're often treated like second-class citizens or used as disposable grunts to do Iran's bidding in Syria. It's pretty outrageous Norway is sending her to Afghanistan if she was born in Iran.

I didn't read the whole article but why are they sending her to Afghanistan? And why did she come from Iran as a refugee, which is an oppressive but stable country?

I think she moved from Afghanistan to Iran as a baby or small child. they say she never visited but they maybe just mean since she can remember. like I was born in Indiana, but I have no memory of it cause I left when I was 2. I dont think you can deport to a country you weren't born in.

Zikten posted...

makes no sense. they let criminals stay in the country. but they deport her. and the lawyer said it was illegal. something smells fishy. I think there is a conspiracy about this girl to get rid of her.

I'd argue it was likely the opposite. Nobody is saying why the family's status was revoked and they're using the girl to try and drum up enough public support to try and pressure Norway into keeping the whole family there.
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foreveraIone posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Liberals trying to figure out how to pin this on Trump

what motivates someone to shitpost this much?

Probably the 500 other leftist troll posters who spew much worse shit at every possible opportunity.

Zikten posted...

I think she moved from Afghanistan to Iran as a baby or small child. they say she never visited but they maybe just mean since she can remember. like I was born in Indiana, but I have no memory of it cause I left when I was 2. I dont think you can deport to a country you weren't born in.

It said she was born in Iran which makes her an Iranian citizen.
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Her parents set her up to fail, which is a damn shame, but this isnt Norways problem.
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Pow Pow Punishment posted...

Zikten posted...

I think she moved from Afghanistan to Iran as a baby or small child. they say she never visited but they maybe just mean since she can remember. like I was born in Indiana, but I have no memory of it cause I left when I was 2. I dont think you can deport to a country you weren't born in.

It said she was born in Iran which makes her an Iranian citizen.

then this makes no sense. unless Norway's deportation laws are different from Americas. I always understood it that you can't deport to a random country. it has to be the one you were born in.

_MorningStar posted...

Good job Norway.

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Zikten posted...

Pow Pow Punishment posted...

Zikten posted...

I think she moved from Afghanistan to Iran as a baby or small child. they say she never visited but they maybe just mean since she can remember. like I was born in Indiana, but I have no memory of it cause I left when I was 2. I dont think you can deport to a country you weren't born in.

It said she was born in Iran which makes her an Iranian citizen.

then this makes no sense. unless Norway's deportation laws are different from Americas. I always understood it that you can't deport to a random country. it has to be the one you were born in.

I assume Iran doesn't have birthright citizenship like the US, so she likely only has citizenship inherited from her parents, which would be Afghanistan.
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s0nicfan posted...

I assume Iran doesn't have birthright citizenship like the US, so she likely only has citizenship inherited from her parents, which would be Afghanistan.

I'm Iranian and I had to look this up. You get citizenship through your father but not your mother, so yeah, that's probably what happened.

Huh, having been born in Canada I wonder if that makes me an Iranian citizen since both my parents were born there.
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s0nicfan posted...

Zikten posted...

makes no sense. they let criminals stay in the country. but they deport her. and the lawyer said it was illegal. something smells fishy. I think there is a conspiracy about this girl to get rid of her.

I'd argue it was likely the opposite. Nobody is saying why the family's status was revoked and they're using the girl to try and drum up enough public support to try and pressure Norway into keeping the whole family there.

We send people back to Afghanistan if they are not in need of protection," Sylvi Listhaug told The Spectator, a British weekly magazine. She pointed to Norways increase in foreign aid which helps refugees abroad.

"We should think about all refugees, do as much as we can for as many as possible," she said, adding, "It is the wrong answer to have a policy to have a lot of people without need of protection coming to our countries as asylum seekers."
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You're not a citizen if you're born there either.

Pow Pow Punishment posted...

Zikten posted...

I think she moved from Afghanistan to Iran as a baby or small child. they say she never visited but they maybe just mean since she can remember. like I was born in Indiana, but I have no memory of it cause I left when I was 2. I dont think you can deport to a country you weren't born in.

It said she was born in Iran which makes her an Iranian citizen.

Does it? Not all countries do birthright citizenship
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Dang, that is pretty sad. Bureacracy gets messed up and times.
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That's absurd. There's a difference sometimes between legal and right, where following the letter of the law violates the spirit.
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Pow Pow Punishment posted...

s0nicfan posted...

I assume Iran doesn't have birthright citizenship like the US, so she likely only has citizenship inherited from her parents, which would be Afghanistan.

I'm Iranian and I had to look this up. You get citizenship through your father but not your mother, so yeah, that's probably what happened.

They do have birthright citizenship too, but the father must have resided legally in the country for at least a year prior to her birth for her to be given Iranian citizenship. The article is vague on the legal status of her parents, but it's quite possible they weren't in Iran for a year before she was born, or they were in the country illegally, which would mean Afghanistan would probably be her only legally recognized citizenship. She might even be stateless since I can't actually find anything on whether or not Afghanistan automatically grants citizenship to children born abroad to Afghan parents, though I would assume they do.
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Maybe she should have done a little more to gain citizenship. Laziness isn't an acceptable excuse.

Whats the issue here?

Refugee status = TEMPORARY stay in whichever country you're in till its deemed that you can return to the nation of your citizenship.

If you have an issue with this you should stop being twofaced and just come out and say that temporary refugee status should be abolished and all refugees should be granted permanent stays.

iClockwork posted...

Maybe she should have done a little more to gain citizenship. Laziness isn't an acceptable excuse.

I'm not sure about Norway, but in the USA the path to citizenship generally takes about 12-15 years unless one can display exceptional skill considered useful to the country or have an immediate family member who is a citizen.
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The23rdMagus posted...

iClockwork posted...

Maybe she should have done a little more to gain citizenship. Laziness isn't an acceptable excuse.

I'm not sure about Norway, but in the USA the path to citizenship generally takes about 12-15 years unless one can display exceptional skill considered useful to the country or have an immediate family member who is a citizen.

Ok? What relevance does this have to her situation? She lives in Norway not the US.

iClockwork posted...

The23rdMagus posted...

iClockwork posted...

Maybe she should have done a little more to gain citizenship. Laziness isn't an acceptable excuse.

I'm not sure about Norway, but in the USA the path to citizenship generally takes about 12-15 years unless one can display exceptional skill considered useful to the country or have an immediate family member who is a citizen.

Ok? What relevance does this have to her situation? She lives in Norway not the US.

The relevance is that I have a feeling most countries have a long road to citizenship. I could be wrong.
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The23rdMagus posted...

The relevance is that I have a feeling most countries have a long road to citizenship. I could be wrong.

https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/guide-to-case-processing-times-for-applications-for-norwegian-citizenship/?h=1&c=afg

8 months

Bureaucratic idiocy at its worst. Not cool, Norway, not cool.
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Am I the only one that feels like we are missing something here?

Nope, I feel that something's missing here too. Why are they only talking about the girl and not the rest of her family? What about them?
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Thompson posted...

Bureaucratic idiocy at its worst. Not cool, Norway, not cool.

Why is it bureaucratic idiocy? I don't understand this.

foreveraIone posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Liberals trying to figure out how to pin this on Trump

what motivates someone to shitpost this much?

Anger at the realisation that their chosen one is in deep trouble, and they are powerless to do anything about it.
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NibeIungsnarf posted...

Thompson posted...

Bureaucratic idiocy at its worst. Not cool, Norway, not cool.

Why is it bureaucratic idiocy? I don't understand this.

How can it be justified to ruin her life by deporting her to a country she's never lived?
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Thompson posted...

NibeIungsnarf posted...

Thompson posted...

Bureaucratic idiocy at its worst. Not cool, Norway, not cool.

Why is it bureaucratic idiocy? I don't understand this.

How can it be justified to ruin her life by deporting her to a country she's never lived?

I don't understand what you're wanting here. She and her family was only ever promised temporary stay in Norway. Seems like you want that temporary stay changed to infinite stay "just cause"

NibeIungsnarf posted...

Thompson posted...

NibeIungsnarf posted...

Thompson posted...

Bureaucratic idiocy at its worst. Not cool, Norway, not cool.

Why is it bureaucratic idiocy? I don't understand this.

How can it be justified to ruin her life by deporting her to a country she's never lived?

I don't understand what you're wanting here. She and her family was only ever promised temporary stay in Norway. Seems like you want that temporary stay changed to infinite stay "just cause"

She's not lived a single day in Afghanistan. She lived in Iran for 12 years before she and her brother travelled to Norway, soon followed by her family. She's worked diligently to become an upstanding Norwegian citizen, yet, for some reason, she's to be deported to a country she's never been to and where she has no future. I can understand the deporting of irreverent criminals and unscrupulous opportunists, but...

"This is a family who has lived in Norway for six years who have done exactly what the Norwegian authorities have been telling them to do. They have learned the language, they have gone to school, they have been working, they have been part of the local community," Vatne said.

Vatne said the High Court's decision not only goes against international law but also again Norwegian law. In short, "the decision is illegal."

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Thompson posted...

She's worked diligently to become an upstanding Norwegian citizen

Then why wasn't she approved to be naturalized?

Okay. I see nothing worthwhile in what you just said that somehow makes this bureaucratic idiocy rather than just natural happenstance based on the events that lead to her and her family being permitted to stay in Norway in the first place.

iClockwork posted...

Thompson posted...

She's worked diligently to become an upstanding Norwegian citizen

Then why wasn't she approved to be naturalized?

That's what baffles me.
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Only in America
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Again I ask, why are they making this story about just her? What about the rest of her family?
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Dorfl_2 posted...

Again I ask, why are they making this story about just her? What about the rest of her family?

To amplify the emotional value and impact, says my cynical side.
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And to hide something. But what?
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Thompson posted...

She's worked diligently to become an upstanding Norwegian citizen,

She's not Citizen, though.
She had a residency permit, that is dependant on her refugee status.
They felt the place is safe enough that her family is no longer in need of asylum, therefore their refugee status and residency permit has been revoked, and they are Afghani citizens, so that is where they have to go, regardless of if she spent a significant amount of time there
That is just how the immigration law works
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ROBANN_88 posted...

Thompson posted...

She's worked diligently to become an upstanding Norwegian citizen,

She's not Citizen, though.
She had a residency permit, that is dependant on her refugee status.
They felt the place is safe enough that her family is no longer in need of asylum, therefore their refugee status and residency permit has been revoked, and they are Afghani citizens, so that is where they have to go, regardless of if she spent a significant amount of time there
That is just how the immigration law works

I didn't say she is a citizen. I said she's worked hard to become a citizen. Seems like a massive disservice that all her hardships have been for nothing, as Norway's ignoring her achievements and deporting her along with her family to one of the unsafest countries in the world.
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What about the achievements of those going through the legal process to immigrate? Should they be ignored just so this girl gets their spot?
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Rika_Furude posted...

What about the achievements of those going through the legal process to immigrate? Should they be ignored just so this girl gets their spot?

The good ol' American way, eh?

And this article is definitely hiding something about the full process the family went through. If they've been through years of application and appeals and the court determined they weren't really refugees then I'll give the court the benefit of the doubt here.
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