Auckland Mall Terrorist Attack: Jacinda Ardern Investigates Whether All Options To Deport The Terrorist Have Been Exhausted

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would have been “very, very difficult” to evict Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, the terrorist from the New Lynn shopping center.

However, she said the government would consider whether there were other means that could have been taken to deport her.

Ardern has been criticized by opposition leader Judith Collins, who argued that two sections of the immigration law would have given the government grounds to deport Samsudeen.

“The New Zealand Immigration Act provides that the Minister of Immigration may certify that a person constitutes a threat or a security risk and, with Cabinet approval, the Governor General may order the deportation of that person, ”Collins said.

Collins noted that the Refugee Convention allowed countries to expel refugees for “reasons of national security or public order”, which would likely cover Samsudeen.

But Ardern noted that the threat of persecution in Sri Lanka would have made Samsudeen’s deportation very difficult.

She said there were two roadblocks at the eviction. He was currently in the midst of legal proceedings, and Crown Law has indicated that he would likely be a “protected person” as he risked persecution if deported to Sri Lanka.

“He was going through legal proceedings (…) and had appealed the annulment of his refugee status,” Ardern said.

“One of the questions that would be considered by the court, however, is whether or not the individual was a protected person.

“If someone was a protected person, it makes the eviction very, very difficult,” Ardern said.

But Ardern said she would continue to press for more information on whether to deport the man, saying “there are a few things we can explore.”

“The question I specifically was when someone fraudulently obtained this [refugee] the statute then poses a threat to national security – there is a bit of work to be done there, ”Ardern said.

“Most New Zealanders will say that if you have acted fraudulently in obtaining this [refugee] status and you are a threat to national security, surely there are mechanisms that we can use there – so that’s what we’re exploring, ”she said.

Ardern reiterated his promise that the changes to anti-terrorism laws would be passed by the end of the month – something Collins offered to support.

Act and the Greens have both expressed concern about moving forward so quickly.

Golriz Ghahraman, of the Greens, said the attack “must not be used to rush anti-terrorism laws without careful consideration.

“Our response must capture the complexity of radicalization, protect rights and avoid causing further harm to the most marginalized communities.”

Law leader David Seymour said the bill the government intends to pass should be split into several bills.

One would make “simple and immediate changes where appropriate” while the other would be given additional time “to review new information in light of the Lynn Mall attack.”