The Life of a Refugee in Ireland & Why We Must Do Better
Dublin City University are once again fighting to stop the deportation of one of its brightest students, Mehwish Saquib. Mehwish was informed of her deportation last Friday evening, along with her Husband and three children. This news comes less than a year after the #SaveOurShephard campaign which called for a stop to the deportation of Shepherd Machaya, a DCU student studying ‘management of information technology and information systems’. DCU students are now advocating against the deportation of classmate Mehwish Saquib who is currently in her third year of studying ‘Early Childhood Education’ on St. Patrick's campus.
A petition directed at Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Justice and Equality has already gained 4074 signatures out of their goal of 5000. I believe it is so important that the petition succeed its target to reflect just how loved Mehwish is by her classmates; one of whom described her as “a valued member of our course who wants to succeed and strives to achieve.” It has been stated in the petition that if deported her family “will be faced with death threats from the very people who drove her out of the country eight years ago.” It is wrong to subject Mehwish and her family to this fate.
The most haunting aspect of Mehwish’s story is how unoriginal it is. All too often refugees in Ireland are deported back to the very country in which they fled from when they have already created a better life here and are contributing and valued members of our society. I think it is right to not only call on the Minister for Justice and Equality to reverse Mehwish and her families deportation but also revise procedure and laws in regards to deportation in Ireland. Throughout the #WeWishForMewish and #SaveOurShepard campaigns I noticed that it was often stated that both parties should be allowed the opportunity to stay in Ireland until they have finished their studies. However, I do not believe this is enough. Although Machaya’s deportation order was extended for several months following the #SaveOurShepherd campaign, he will still be subjected to this same fate after his extension is over. Instead of living in a constant fear of “what will we do next?” it is my belief that the only way to respect human rights in this scenario is to end direct provision in Ireland and look to a new, more permanent solution. Refugees in Ireland live in a uniquely vulnerable position, with every day bringing the possibility of the dreaded deportation letter. The direct provision system is breach of many basic human rights and must be regarded as such.
Link to the petition: https://www.change.org/p/minister-for-justice-and-equality-charlie-flanagan-we-wish-for-mehwish
by Amy Collins