The first group of refugees from Australia’s offshore detention centers is expected to leave for the United States “in the coming weeks,” Australia’s prime minister announced Wednesday.
In a video shared on social media, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull thanked President Trump for honoring a deal reached by the Obama administration, which Mr. Trump had criticized, in which the United States agreed to accept hundreds of refugees from the centers, one on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and one on Nauru, an island nation to the east.
“Around 50 refugees from P.N.G. and Nauru will be accepted in this first group, and they’ll be notified in coming days,” Mr. Turnbull said on Wednesday. “Vetting and processing by the United States will continue, and further decisions by U.S. authorities in respect of others are expected in due course.”
An official with the State Department confirmed that 54 approved refugees would be notified in the coming days and travel to the United States in the coming weeks. Little is known about the group, but the official said that the refugees were similar in makeup to other groups that country admits for resettlement.
Asylum seekers who tried to reach Australia by boat were sent to the detention centers while their refugee claims were considered. Many have been waiting for years, often in harsh conditions.
Australia has been harshly criticized for its offshore detention program, which has cost its government billions of dollars. The Australian government has committed to closing the Manus detention center by Oct. 31, after Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court found it to be unlawful, but it has said that its Nauru center would remain open indefinitely. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned Australia’s detention program, labeling it “dire and untenable.”
But Mr. Turnbull was steadfast on Wednesday, reiterating, “Anyone who comes by boat will be turned back.” He continued, “They will not be settled in Australia, and they will not be resettled in the United States. Those in P.N.G. and Nauru who’ve been found not to be refugees should return to their country of origin.”
The potential closure of the Manus processing center would not affect the eligibility of those referred by the United Nations refugee agency for resettlement consideration, and others are expected to be resettled in the coming months, the State Department official said. The United States would identify an alternative processing location on Manus if required, the official said.
During an unpleasant first telephone call in January, Mr. Turnbull pressed Mr. Trump to honor the agreement, reached near the end of the Obama administration, for the United States to accept hundreds of refugees from the centers. Mr. Trump cast doubt on the safety of the plan, asking, “Are they going to become the Boston bomber in five years? Or two years? Who are these people?” before he abruptly ended the conversation. He later posted on Twitter that the agreement was a “dumb deal.”
Many have since questioned whether Mr. Trump would honor the agreement.
“Let me be very clear, this arrangement is a one-off,” Mr. Turnbull said of the resettlement deal with the United States on Wednesday. “And it’s available only to those found to be refugees who are currently in P.N.G. and Nauru and is of course subject to the United States’ own extreme vetting, mandated by the president.”
Elaine Pearson, Australia director of Human Rights Watch, said the deal was being used by the Australian government as a distraction.
“The reality is, the Australian government has used this as a diversionary tactic for the past year to sit on its hands,” she said. “These people did not have to sit on Manus and await resettlement. They could have been brought to Australia. It’s absolutely shameful.”
Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Security would not answer questions on the matter and referred to statements from Mr. Turnbull and from Peter Dutton, the Australian immigration minister. “I repeat that we will not be providing running commentary on this matter,” his statement read.
SOURCE: New York Times
