Media Release

3 May 2004

Deportation Tribunal’s Days Numbered Says Jones

New Zealand First says the days of the Deportation Review Tribunal are numbered as a result of the absurd decisions it consistently makes in favour of migrant offenders.

This follows the latest decisions of the tribunal in which it quashed the deportation order of a Vietnamese man who spent two years in jail for a violent offence and also allowed a Chinese woman convicted of fraud to stay in New Zealand.

Associated immigration spokesperson Dail Jones says the tribunal appears to have become irrational in its decisions because it is allowing serious criminals to stay in New Zealand when they should be sent packing from the nearest airport.

“New Zealand is rapidly becoming the dumping ground for the world’s riffraff. If immigrants cannot behave they should be deported immediately.” Mr Jones pointed out that that every one of the deportation orders overturned since 2000 involved individuals convicted of serious crimes. Charges included assault, aggravated robbery, rape, kidnapping, arson, fraud and drug dealing. “We have plenty of criminals of our own and we don’t need to keep importing them. It is time we reviewed the work of this tribunal and considered whether it is necessary to have such a tribunal,” said Mr Jones.

ENDS

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