Illegal asylum boat trade beaten, Department of Immigration and Border Protection figures show
“The Coalition government is cleaning up the mess Labor left.’’
THE tide has officially turned on the people-smuggling trade with the number of asylum seekers returned from Australian detention or offshore processing centres now outstripping the total number of those seeking to come by boat since the election.
In what is being described as a turning point in the Abbott government’s pledge to shut down the people-smuggling racket, the total number of asylum seekers either in detention or detained in the community has begun to go backward for the first time in six years.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection figures confirmed a total 1127 people, who the Abbott government considered illegal entries, had been returned to their country of origin since September 18.
This included those held in both offshore and onshore processing facilities. This now outnumbers the total number of arrivals since the start of the government’s controversial border protection policy, which peaked at 1111 before the flow of boats was brought to a halt.
Immigration minister Scott Morrison is expected to today announce the “milestone” in the operation.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection breakdown of those who had returned since September included 275 people who voluntarily returned to their point of origin rather than stay at Nauru and Manus Island and a further 376 “voluntary returns” of those deemed to be illegal maritime arrivals who had been granted bridging visas.
There were a further 299 people who voluntarily returned from onshore detention centres after being told they would not be granted visas.
Of the total to have given up on their quest for asylum and returned home, 177 were “involuntarily removed” by the department.
Mr Morrison told The Daily Telegraph the government had finally “turned the tables” on the people- smuggling industry.
He said the decision to deny permanent visas to anyone who arrived by boat had the most impact.
Mr Morrison said it was now hitting home that people were wasting tens of thousands of dollars on payments to people smugglers for visas they would never be granted.
“The Coalition government’s strong border protection policies have reached another milestone, with more illegal boat arrivals leaving than have arrived under Operation Sovereign Borders,” Mr Morrison said.
“More people are leaving than have come and in almost six months there has been no successful people smuggling venture.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/illegal-asylum-boat-trade-beaten-department-of-immigration...
