A petition asking that the family be allowed to remain in Australia has been signed by more than 55,000 people.
A local social worker from Bileola, Anglea Fredericks has started a petition on change.org. Titled “Bring Priya and her beautiful family back home to Biloela, Queensland”, the petition reads, “Our community is not ready to let this family go. They love living and contributing to our society. We want them here. Mr Dutton, please return this family to Biloela, their home, where they are wanted and welcome.”
The story of Priya and her family came to light this week when their home in Biloela, Queensland was raided by the Australian Border Force officials. Their visa expired on 4th March. Officials arrived at their house in Central Queensland at 5 am next day.
The treatment given to the family during the raid was widely criticized. Priya, her husband Nadesalingam and couple’s two daughters – a seven-month-old and a 2-year-old – were given 10 minutes to gather their belongings before the husband and wife were taken separately to the airport.
Priya and her husband Nadesalingam arrived by boat from Srilanka and sought asylum in Australia.
Nadesalingam, who had links to the former separatist organisation, the LTTE, applied for the protection visa. Priya married Nadesaligam in 2014, and the couple has two daughters – a seven-month-old and a 2-year-old.
However, their protection visa was rejected.
A spokesperson for the Home Affairs department told the Guardian, the family’s asylum application had “been comprehensively assessed by the department, various tribunals and courts”.
“They have consistently been found not to meet Australia’s protection obligations.
The petition argues that the family has made home and life in Australia. It went from a few signatures to more than 40,000 in just 24 hours. It reads, “The life awaiting this family in Sri Lanka is uncertain. In a country that represses Tamil people, and where child brides and child sex trafficking exist, the future of Priya, Nades and their two beautiful daughters is grim.”
Meanwhile, Priya and her family remain in the immigration centre in Melbourne, awaiting possible deportation.
