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Canberra – Australia is resisting mounting international pressure not to deport child asylum seekers, with a minister warning that allowing them to stay could encourage more refugees to come by boat.
Australia’s policy of paying the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru to accommodate asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australian shores by boat survived a challenge in the High Court on Wednesday.
The test case ruling means 267 asylum seekers, most of whom came from Nauru to Australia for medical treatment or to support a family member who needed treatment, face potential deportation back to Nauru.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said on Thursday that asylum seekers, including children, would be returned to Nauru once their medical needs had been met.
