Iraqi communication sites sparked anger after the Belgian Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration Sami Mahdi - who is of Iraqi origin - decided to deport asylum seekers whose asylum applications were rejected, including thousands of Iraqis, due to the lack of deportation decisions in the country.
Tweeters rejected the Belgian minister's statements and considered them indecent and insulting, especially since he was from Iraqi parents who had come to Belgium as refugees earlier.
The Belgian Minister of Immigration of Iraqi origin, "Sami Mahdi," intends to deport the rejected refugees, numbering about 150,000, and Belgian media describe him as a strict person.
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The sin of the Iraqis is a hiss of those who are present, and when they do, we
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Pharaoh pic.twitter.com/cMXgR6UcWR
- Huda Waleed (@ HudaWaleed13) October 17, 2020
Sami Mahdi, of Iraqi origin, was appointed Minister of Immigration in Belgium, so he made a decision to deport the 150,000 rejected refugees, including 30,000 Iraqis, whom the Belgians described as "strict."
This reminded me of a neighbor who gave me when I was young, a pot of rice with a piece of meat on top, he was a vow for him, and whenever he saw me playing on the street he told me: "Quad Samnan" pic.twitter.com/PMklcbajqE
- Faisal Abdul Hassan (@FaisalAbedhasan) October 16, 2020
The Belgian Minister of Immigration of Iraqi origin, "Sami Mahdi," intends to deport the rejected refugees, numbering about 150,000, and Belgian media describe him as a strict person.
pic.twitter.com/cYzhpBPXlI
- Dr. Adnan Albideri (@albideri) October 16, 2020
Evan Faeq confirmed the refusal of any forcible deportation of Iraqi refugees (Iraqi News Agency)
Formal refusal
On Saturday, the Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Displacement, Evan Faeq, refused any forcible return of Iraqis whose asylum applications were rejected in the countries of immigration.
"The ministry rejects any forced deportation of Iraqi refugees, and their circumstances must be taken into account," the minister said in a statement, pointing out that "the ministry is with voluntary, not forced, return."
She explained that she "will invite the Belgian ambassador to a meeting to discuss this file, after the statements made by the Belgian Minister of Immigration."
In response to the statements of the Belgian Minister of Immigration, the Minister of Immigration and the Displaced, the No Forced Return of any Iraqi in the Diaspora.
Posted by Evan Faek Gabro on Friday, 16 October 2020
It is noteworthy that Sami Mahdi was appointed Minister of Asylum and Immigration in the new Belgian government that was formed at the end of last month, and he is the son of an Iraqi refugee who came to Belgium in 1970, a member of the Flemish Christian Democratic Party, and an editor in several columns of Belgian newspapers.
Once in office, Mahdi confirmed his intention to prove his firmness in the file of illegal immigration and to deport asylum seekers whose applications were rejected, because he believed that the deportations carried out in the country are still few, explaining that the Belgian authorities deported 18% of the rejected asylum seekers, compared to 35% in Germany Therefore, "our ambition is to increase deportations."
However, in a previous TV interview, Mahdi indicated his desire to lead a balanced immigration policy that relies on "reason and heart" at the same time, bringing back those who must be returned and at the same time helping legal immigrants, and emphasizing solidarity with all.
According to the Citizen Platform for Refugees Support (Plateforme citoyenne de soutien aux réfugiés), there are currently between 120 and 150,000 people in Belgium in an irregular situation.
Therefore, the situation requires greater responsibility from the government in terms of financial support and facilitating access to health care, in addition to bypassing the Dublin Regulation, in order to allow immigrants to complete asylum application procedures in Belgium.