Tuesday May 8, 2018
Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban is influencing Australia’s offshore
processing system – with all Iranian and Somali refugees rejected for
resettlement in the US.
The third version of Donald Trump’s travel
ban bars or limits entry to citizens of five Muslim-majority countries –
Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen – as well as North Korea. The
ban’s constitutionality is currently being considered by the supreme
court but is currently in effect.
About 150 refugees held in offshore
processing on the island of Nauru have appointments with US officials
this week, where they will discover final assessments of whether they
have been accepted by America. So far, every Iranian and Somali
applicant has been rejected.
At least one refugee has attempted
suicide after being rejected. An Iranian woman had to be rescued from
the sea near Ijuw late on Monday night after being told she could not go
to the US.
“Everyone is just thinking they have no hope,” one
refugee told the Guardian by phone. “I have seen small children so
distressed, a 12-year-old girl crying she is a like widow, asking what
will happen to her life.”
The ABF has escalated its
presence on Nauru for this week’s meetings and stepped up the security
around the camps and the island settlements.
Iranian refugee Shahriar Hatami said the environment across the island was disruptive and distressed.
“Highly security environment again spread everywhere. In our camp a deadly [silence] is dominant.”
On Manus Island, the refugee and journalist Behrouz Boochani said all Iranians and Somalis were fearful they would be rejected.
“There
is huge worry in Nauru & Manus about US deal,” he wrote. “Many
Iranian & Somali refugees in Nauru given rejection notices from US.
It means US considers the countries banned. Its time for that the Home
Affairs minister takes responsibility & makes his plan clear.”
The
Australian government has promoted the US resettlement deal as its
solution to offshore processing but, for more than a year, it has
conceded that the US deal cannot clear the camps.
Thus far, 85
refugees have been resettled from Manus and 162 from Nauru. US officials
hope to finalise the resettlement deal by October, when its annual
resettlement quota restarts.
More than 500 refugees are expected to be left on the island of Nauru even if the US fulfils its entire