Citing humanitarian concerns, the National Immigration Agency yesterday halted the deportation of three teenagers who were born in Indonesia, but raised in Taiwan.
The decision came hours after local media reported on the sisters’ plight.
Taipei Zhongshan Girls’ High School first-year student Hsiao Chiao (小喬) — whose name was changed to protect her privacy — said that she had been ordered to leave the country with her mother and two younger sisters.
When she was five years old, Hsiao Chiao immigrated to Taiwan with her mother and siblings on family visas connected to her father’s permanent residence status, she said.
After he was investigated for bank fraud, her father accepted a deal to be deported in exchange for deferred prosecution, Hsiao Chiao said.
Immigration officials last month told her father that he must leave Taiwan by Feb. 8 and his family must leave a month later, she said.
In a petition submitted to Minister of Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), who oversees the agency, Hsiao Chiao said that she and her sisters identify as Taiwanese and that they have virtually no ties to Indonesia.
Hsiao Chiao added that she was eligible for permanent residency and would have applied for it, but did not due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An agency spokesman yesterday said that a “temporary hold” was placed on the deportation of the sisters and the mother, and that a panel of experts would be convened to decide what actions, if any, should be taken.
The deportation of the father for his involvement in criminal activity would continue, the official said, citing the Immigration Act (出國及移民法).
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