Latest news with #AvaBenach
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
United States trying to deport migrant to Australia, despite him having no connection to the country
The US government is threatening to deport a man to Australia, even though he has no link to our country, as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. Reza Zavvar, 52, was originally from Iran. He now lives in the American state Maryland, and has been in the United States since the mid-1980s. He works as a recruiter. While he did initially have a green card, which grants permanent residence in the United States, it was stripped of him in 2004 over a minor offences related to his possession of the drug marijuana in the 1990s. In 2007, he was granted a non-expulsion order, meaning he could not be deported back to the country of his birth, Iran. Mr Zavvar's lawyer, Ava Benach, says those marijuana offences are why he is now being targeted for deportation. 'On June 28, ICE arrested Reza Zavvar, a criminal illegal alien from Iran. He was convicted of attempted possession of a controlled substance,' Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security said last month, explaining his current detention. 'They got him while he was walking his dog in his quiet suburban neighbourhood,' Ms Benach told the ABC, referring to agents from the US immigration enforcement agency ICE, whose powers and resources have been boosted by President Donald Trump. 'And they detained him and sent him to Texas to hold him, and they said: 'We're gonna deport you to Australia or Romania.' 'How they picked those countries is a mystery to me.' And, indeed, to the rest of us. Mr Zavvar's mother, Firouzeh Firouzabadi, told NBC4 Washington that shortly after he left home to walk his dog Duke on June 28, uniformed agents arrived at the door, where she lived with him, with Duke's leash in their hands. 'I heard the knock on the door,' Ms Firouzabadi said. 'I was shaking. My brother was behind me holding me, and a lot of questions were coming, but the first thing that came to my mind was that maybe a car hit him and he's on the floor, that's why they brought him, Duke to me. 'That was the first thing that hit me. It was hard.' To be clear, Mr Zavvar has no ties to Australia or Romania. He has resided in America for about 40 years, since he arrived there at the age of 12. Yet he has received two 'notices of removal' from America's Department of Homeland Security, signalling its intention to send him away. One says the destination will be Australia, the other Romania. Those notices were served on him at the beginning of July. The aforementioned court order from 2007 prevents him from being deported to his native Iran because it could place him in danger of persecution. So, consistent with its policy of trying to send such people to third-party countries instead, the Trump administration is looking elsewhere. The Australian government says it has not been approached about the case. 'There have been no new agreements made with the Trump administration on immigration,' said a spokesperson. America, however, seems determined to deport Mr Zavvar. Here is the quote from Ms McLaughlin, who serves as an assistant secretary at DHS in addition to being among its chief spokespeople: 'ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien.' 'The Trump administration will not ignore the rule of law,' she said. 'Under President Trump and Secretary (Kristi) Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US.' Mr Zavvar's family are seeking donations to help him fund a fight in the courts. 'After 40 years of living in the US, Reza knows no other home,' his sister, Maryam, wrote as part of an online petition. 'He waits in a privately run detention centre, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future.' His sister described him as a 'gentle giant', talented at sports but 'kind and warm-hearted' off the field. The petition claims Mr Zavvar has long been a contributor to his local community, donating sandwiches to the hungry and helping his neighbours. Duke, the aforementioned dog, was adopted from a shelter. The selection of Australia and Romania stands out because in many cases, the Trump administration has used deportees as bargaining chips in broader negotiations with foreign governments, mostly in South America and Africa. The practice of deporting people to third countries was rare until this year. Tom Homan, the man frequently described as Mr Trump's 'border czar', has claimed most migrants targeted by ICE are either 'criminals' or 'national security threats'.
Daily Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
United States trying to deport migrant to Australia, despite him having no connection to the country
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. The US government is threatening to deport a man to Australia, even though he has no link to our country, as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. Reza Zavvar, 52, was originally from Iran. He now lives in the American state Maryland, and has been in the United States since the mid-1980s. He works as a recruiter. While he did initially have a green card, which grants permanent residence in the United States, it was stripped of him in 2004 over a minor offences related to his possession of the drug marijuana in the 1990s. In 2007, he was granted a non-expulsion order, meaning he could not be deported back to the country of his birth, Iran. Mr Zavvar's lawyer, Ava Benach, says those marijuana offences are why he is now being targeted for deportation. 'On June 28, ICE arrested Reza Zavvar, a criminal illegal alien from Iran. He was convicted of attempted possession of a controlled substance,' Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security said last month, explaining his current detention. Reza Zavvar and his dog. 'They got him while he was walking his dog in his quiet suburban neighbourhood,' Ms Benach told the ABC, referring to agents from the US immigration enforcement agency ICE, whose powers and resources have been boosted by President Donald Trump. 'And they detained him and sent him to Texas to hold him, and they said: 'We're gonna deport you to Australia or Romania.' 'How they picked those countries is a mystery to me.' And, indeed, to the rest of us. Mr Zavvar's mother, Firouzeh Firouzabadi, told NBC4 Washington that shortly after he left home to walk his dog Duke on June 28, uniformed agents arrived at the door, where she lived with him, with Duke's leash in their hands. 'I heard the knock on the door,' Ms Firouzabadi said. 'I was shaking. My brother was behind me holding me, and a lot of questions were coming, but the first thing that came to my mind was that maybe a car hit him and he's on the floor, that's why they brought him, Duke to me. 'That was the first thing that hit me. It was hard.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, posing in front of prisoners in El Salvador, one of the destinations for America's deportees. Picture: Alex Brandon/AFP To be clear, Mr Zavvar has no ties to Australia or Romania. He has resided in America for about 40 years, since he arrived there at the age of 12. Yet he has received two 'notices of removal' from America's Department of Homeland Security, signalling its intention to send him away. One says the destination will be Australia, the other Romania. Those notices were served on him at the beginning of July. The aforementioned court order from 2007 prevents him from being deported to his native Iran because it could place him in danger of persecution. So, consistent with its policy of trying to send such people to third-party countries instead, the Trump administration is looking elsewhere. The Australian government says it has not been approached about the case. 'There have been no new agreements made with the Trump administration on immigration,' said a spokesperson. America, however, seems determined to deport Mr Zavvar. Here is the quote from Ms McLaughlin, who serves as an assistant secretary at DHS in addition to being among its chief spokespeople: 'ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien.' 'The Trump administration will not ignore the rule of law,' she said. 'Under President Trump and Secretary (Kristi) Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: Valeriu Campan/NewsWire Mr Zavvar's family are seeking donations to help him fund a fight in the courts. 'After 40 years of living in the US, Reza knows no other home,' his sister, Maryam, wrote as part of an online petition. 'He waits in a privately run detention centre, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future.' His sister described him as a 'gentle giant', talented at sports but 'kind and warm-hearted' off the field. The petition claims Mr Zavvar has long been a contributor to his local community, donating sandwiches to the hungry and helping his neighbours. Duke, the aforementioned dog, was adopted from a shelter. The selection of Australia and Romania stands out because in many cases, the Trump administration has used deportees as bargaining chips in broader negotiations with foreign governments, mostly in South America and Africa. The practice of deporting people to third countries was rare until this year. Tom Homan, the man frequently described as Mr Trump's 'border czar', has claimed most migrants targeted by ICE are either 'criminals' or 'national security threats'. Originally published as United States trying to deport migrant to Australia, despite him having no connection to the country
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Albanese government has no knowledge of Trump administration threat to deport Iranian man to Australia
Labor has cast doubt on the possibility of the Trump administration transferring an Iranian-born man from US immigration detention to Australia, saying it has no knowledge of the case. The US government is threatening to deport Reza Zavvar, a 52-year-old permanent resident who lives in Maryland, to either Australia or Romania – despite having no links to either country. Zavvar is being held in detention near his home, despite previously holding a US immigration green card, due to a historical conviction for marijuana possession which dates back to the 1990s. He arrived in the US at 12 years of age on a student visa, meaning he has lived in the US for four decades. Zavvar cannot be sent back to Iran due to risk of persecution, and his lawyer Ava Benach says he has been told he could be sent to a third country under so-called 'withholding of removal' status since 2007. Most people with the status are never deported. Documents provided by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement suggest Zavvar could be sent to Australia or Romania. His lawyer, Ava Benach, said Zavvar has never lived in either country. 'There is no rhyme of reason to it, that was just what was put on the form,' Benach said. 'He has not ties to Australia. He's never been to Australia. No family, no education there. How they came up with that is anyone's guess.' Guardian Australia approached the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, about the case. The government said it has not been approached by the United States in relation to it. A government spokesperson said there was no new agreement for transfer of US immigration detainees to Australia. 'We consider any application for a visa on its merits, we have not been contacted by the US government about this matter,' the spokesperson said. 'There have been no new agreements made with the Trump Administration on immigration.' Benach told ABC radio many Iranians living in the US had faced arrest and detention. 'He's perplexed. He never would have contemplated that this could have happened.' The Trump administration has taken a hard line on deporting non-citizens from the US, often to countries in South America. The deportation policy has seen people arrested without warning by federal officials around the US, and has sparked a series of legal challenges. While there is currently no arrangement for receiving deportees from US, a 2016 deal was reached by Barack Obama and then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull for the transfer of up to 1,250 people held in Australia's offshore immigration detention system. Men, women and children from Sudan, Iran, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were among the first people resettled in the US, after being held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The agreement attracted Trump's rage after he became president in early 2017, prompting him to hit out at the 'the worst deal ever' in a fiery conversation with Turnbull. Leaks of a transcript of the conversation shook the American alliance. Trump reluctantly agreed to honour the deal, the terms of which have never been made public. More than 1,100 people were transferred to the US, according to statistics compiled by the Refugee Council of Australia.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Why is the Trump administration threatening to deport this Iranian man to Australia?
By Brad Ryan , ABC Reza Zavvar has been an active contributor to his local community for years, his loved ones say. Photo: Supplied The US government is threatening to deport an Iranian man to Australia - even though he has no connection to Australia and has lived in the US since 1985. Reza Zavvar, a 52-year-old recruiter from Maryland, has been targeted for deportation because of a marijuana possession conviction from the 1990s, his lawyer says. A court order means he cannot be returned to Iran because of the risk of persecution there. So immigration authorities say they are sending him to either Australia or Romania after arresting him in the street near his home in late June. "They got him while he was walking his dog in his quiet suburban neighbourhood," his lawyer, Ava Benach, told the ABC. "And they detained him and sent him to Texas to hold him, and they said: 'We're gonna deport you to Australia or Romania.' "How they picked those countries is a mystery to me." His family, friends and locals are fundraising for a legal fight. They say Mr Zavvar had been quietly contributing to his community for years, helping out his elderly neighbours and making sandwiches each week for those in need of food. He had adopted his dog from a local shelter and recently moved in with his mother to help care for his grandmother. "After 40 years of living in the US, Reza knows no other home," his sister, Maryam, wrote as part of an online petition. "He waits in a privately run detention centre, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future." Mr Zavvar's case has highlighted a controversial strategy increasingly used by the Trump administration as part of its mass deportation regime - sending migrants to countries they have no connection to, sometimes using historical low-level misdemeanours as justification. But immigration lawyers said they had not seen Australia listed as a destination before. "Most of us in the immigration bar have been hearing about cases being sent to Central and South America," said Mahsa Khanbabai, an elected director on the American Immigration Lawyers Association board. "Normally, what we've been seeing is that the Trump administration is targeting countries where they feel they have some leverage, that they feel they can push around and bully. "Australia is not a country that we would normally consider to be in such a position." A DHS Notice of Removal document, dated July 1, says ICE intends to deport Reza Zavvar to Australia. Photo: Supplied The Australian government said it had not been contacted by US authorities about the case. "There have been no new agreements made with the Trump administration on immigration," a government spokesperson said. Despite repeated requests for clarification, neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained why Australia had been selected. But in a statement, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: "ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien." Mr Zavvar's sister said her brother had "built his life in Maryland, surrounded by his loving family, including his parents, sister, and cousins". "He was a natural athlete, excelling in football during high school, where he was affectionately known as a 'gentle giant' - competitive on the field but kind and warm-hearted off." He had a green card, allowing him permanent residence in the US - but his lawyer says his past marijuana-related conviction was later used to jeopardise that status. In 2004, an airport agent noticed his conviction and started a process that could have led to deportation. Reza Zavvar was arrested by immigration agents while walking his dog. Photo: Supplied But three years later, a judge issued a "withholding of removal" order, preventing his return to Iran. DHS says his previous conviction - for attempted possession of a controlled substance - remains a reason to deport him. "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US," the department's Ms McLaughlin said. "Zavvar had almost 20 years to self-deport and leave the United States." The Trump administration has been pushing other countries to accept deportees who cannot return to their countries of origin: either because those countries will not take them back, or because of protection orders like Mr Zavvar's. The "withholding of removal" orders theoretically allow the US to deport the migrant to a different country, but that is historically rare. "We've never really seen people being sent to third countries in my 25 years of practice," Ms Khanbabai said. "When the UK started doing that a few years ago, I remember thinking, what a horrendous situation, thank God the United States doesn't do that. And now here we are seeing the US carry out these very same inhumane, what I would consider illegal, practices." The US government recently struck deals with several African countries, which have opened the door to more of these deportations. Small numbers of migrants - from countries including Vietnam, Cuba and Jamaica - have been sent to South Sudan and Eswatini. And on Wednesday, local time, Reuters reported that Rwanda had said it would accept up to 250 deportees, "in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation". The Trump administration says it is delivering on an election promise to crack down on the millions of people in the US who don't have legal rights to live there, and especially those with criminal convictions. "Under President Trump … if you break the law, you will face the consequences," Ms McLaughlin said. "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US." But immigration lawyers and advocates say Mr Zavvar is among what appears to be a growing number of Iranians detained since the US air strikes on Iran in June. Green card and student visa holders, many of whom have clean records, are among them, Ms Khanbabai said. The Trump administration says it is delivering on an election promise. Photo: AFP The lawyer, who is Iranian American and has many Iranian clients, said the community felt it was being targeted. "The Trump administration claimed that they were going to be going after criminals, yet the vast majority of people, including the Iranians, don't have any serious criminal offences or any at all," she said. "And so we're trying to figure out, is there an uptick of this focus on Iranians … or is this just part of the massive targeting of and scapegoating of immigrants?" Mr Zavvar's lawyer hopes her client's arrest will prove to be a publicity stunt that doesn't lead to his deportation. "I honestly think that they wanted to make a show of arresting Iranians in the wake of our bombing of the Iranian nuclear facility," Ms Benach said. "What people are going to remember is that the administration was arresting Iranians when they were certain that the Iranians were going to retaliate … and then six months from now, they might have to release them under the law, but we'll have moved on to something else." - ABC
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Why is the Trump administration threatening to deport this Iranian man to Australia?
The US government is threatening to deport an Iranian man to Australia — even though he has no connection to Australia and has lived in the US since 1985. Reza Zavvar, a 52-year-old recruiter from Maryland, has been targeted for deportation because of a marijuana possession conviction from the 1990s, his lawyer says. A court order means he cannot be returned to Iran because of the risk of persecution there. So immigration authorities say they are sending him to either Australia or Romania after arresting him in the street near his home in late June. "They got him while he was walking his dog in his quiet suburban neighbourhood," his lawyer, Ava Benach, told the ABC. "And they detained him and sent him to Texas to hold him, and they said: 'We're gonna deport you to Australia or Romania.' His family, friends and locals are fundraising for a legal fight. They say Mr Zavvar had been quietly contributing to his community for years, helping out his elderly neighbours and making sandwiches each week for those in need of food. He had adopted his dog from a local shelter and recently moved in with his mother to help care for his grandmother. "After 40 years of living in the US, Reza knows no other home," his sister, Maryam, wrote as part of an online petition. "He waits in a privately run detention centre, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future." Mr Zavvar's case has highlighted a controversial strategy increasingly used by the Trump administration as part of its mass deportation regime — sending migrants to countries they have no connection to, sometimes using historical low-level misdemeanours as justification. But immigration lawyers said they had not seen Australia listed as a destination before. "Most of us in the immigration bar have been hearing about cases being sent to Central and South America," said Mahsa Khanbabai, an elected director on the American Immigration Lawyers Association board. "Normally, what we've been seeing is that the Trump administration is targeting countries where they feel they have some leverage, that they feel they can push around and bully. "Australia is not a country that we would normally consider to be in such a position." The Australian government said it had not been contacted by US authorities about the case. "There have been no new agreements made with the Trump administration on immigration," a government spokesperson said. Despite repeated requests for clarification, neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained why Australia had been selected. But in a statement, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: "ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien." Mr Zavvar's sister said her brother had "built his life in Maryland, surrounded by his loving family, including his parents, sister, and cousins". "He was a natural athlete, excelling in football during high school, where he was affectionately known as a 'gentle giant' — competitive on the field but kind and warm-hearted off." He had a green card, allowing him permanent residence in the US — but his lawyer says his past marijuana-related conviction was later used to jeopardise that status. In 2004, an airport agent noticed his conviction and started a process that could have led to deportation. But three years later, a judge issued a "withholding of removal" order, preventing his return to Iran. DHS says his previous conviction — for attempted possession of a controlled substance — remains a reason to deport him. "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US," the department's Ms McLaughlin said. "Zavvar had almost 20 years to self-deport and leave the United States." The Trump administration has been pushing other countries to accept deportees who cannot return to their countries of origin: either because those countries will not take them back, or because of protection orders like Mr Zavvar's. The "withholding of removal" orders theoretically allow the US to deport the migrant to a different country, but that is historically rare. "We've never really seen people being sent to third countries in my 25 years of practice," Ms Khanbabai said. "When the UK started doing that a few years ago, I remember thinking, what a horrendous situation, thank God the United States doesn't do that. And now here we are seeing the US carry out these very same inhumane, what I would consider illegal, practices." The US government recently struck deals with several African countries, which have opened the door to more of these deportations. Small numbers of migrants — from countries including Vietnam, Cuba and Jamaica — have been sent to South Sudan and Eswatini. And on Wednesday, local time, Reuters reported that Rwanda had said it would accept up to 250 deportees, "in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation". The Trump administration says it is delivering on an election promise to crack down on the millions of people in the US who don't have legal rights to live there, and especially those with criminal convictions. "Under President Trump … if you break the law, you will face the consequences," Ms McLaughlin said. "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US." But immigration lawyers and advocates say Mr Zavvar is among what appears to be a growing number of Iranians detained since the US air strikes on Iran in June. Green card and student visa holders, many of whom have clean records, are among them, Ms Khanbabai said. The lawyer, who is Iranian American and has many Iranian clients, said the community felt it was being targeted. "The Trump administration claimed that they were going to be going after criminals, yet the vast majority of people, including the Iranians, don't have any serious criminal offences or any at all," she said. "And so we're trying to figure out, is there an uptick of this focus on Iranians … or is this just part of the massive targeting of and scapegoating of immigrants?" Mr Zavvar's lawyer hopes her client's arrest will prove to be a publicity stunt that doesn't lead to his deportation. "I honestly think that they wanted to make a show of arresting Iranians in the wake of our bombing of the Iranian nuclear facility," Ms Benach said. "What people are going to remember is that the administration was arresting Iranians when they were certain that the Iranians were going to retaliate … and then six months from now, they might have to release them under the law, but we'll have moved on to something else."
