Is there hope?

Community Fights Against Family’s Deportation

The father was baptized just recently.(Bild: Liane Watzinger, Krone KREATIV)

The family has been in Austria for four years, integrating into the community, the soccer club, and the parish, and working hard to learn German. Despite all this, the father, mother, two sons, and one daughter are scheduled to be deported as early as Wednesday. Friends and supporters are doing everything they can to delay the flight: There is still hope.

“Everyone who knows the family is charmed by them. They’re so helpful and friendly. The fact that they’re now supposed to be deported has deeply shocked me.” A friend of the family was stunned in an interview with the Upper Austrian “Krone.” The family consists of a father (40), a 33-year-old mother, and their three children, ages eleven, five, and three. The family of five came to Austria from Iraq four years ago and have been living in Katzdorf for the past two years. 

Every Sunday at church
But that is now set to end: The negative asylum decision is to be enforced, and the family is to be flown back to their homeland on Wednesday. This has caused an uproar in the community. According to their friends, they are prime examples of successful integration. “The father spent a year preparing for the baptism. The family attends church every Sunday,” says a friend, a claim corroborated by a letter from the pastor. 

“Making a great effort to integrate”
“The mother doesn’t wear a headscarf, speaks good German, and is about to take the B1 exam. She financed her language courses herself with some support because she didn’t receive any financial aid. The father supports her in everything and advocates for her equal rights. He, too—and the children, of course—speak German very well,” emphasized another friend of the family. 

Active and Popular in the Club
The two sons are also active and involved, namely as members of the local youth soccer team. “Thanks to his already very good German skills, Ali has not only found his place on the sports team but has also made many new friends within the club. His respectful demeanor, his reliability, his motivation, and his positive attitude make him a full-fledged member of his team,” said representatives from the Katzdorf Sports Club. 

Picked Up from School by Police
On Monday, this seemingly idyllic world was abruptly turned upside down: The 11-year-old son was taken from school by the Red Cross and the police. The mother had been in Linz and went to the police. The two were taken together to Vienna and placed in deportation detention. The father, however, had picked up the two younger children from kindergarten shortly before; the trio is now nowhere to be found. 

Classmates Deeply Affected
Mayor Wolfgang Greil (ÖVP) confirms the supporters’ claims and adds: “I received a letter today from the school class in which they describe how they felt when their friend and classmate was taken from school,” said the mayor. Students, parents, and teachers are unsettled and hope that the family will be allowed to stay. This is because, following the denial of his asylum application, the boy was placed in detention on Monday, traveled to Vienna with his mother, and was scheduled to board a flight today. Of course, this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the asylum authorities, not the municipality.

A Glimmer of Hope
But there is hope: “Even while in detention pending deportation, the Asylum Authority can still grant citizenship—for example, if letters of protest are received, or if the facts of the case turn out differently,” explains Georg Klammer, an immigration lawyer. Perhaps there will still be a pleasant surprise for the family and their many supporters and friends this St. Martin’s Day: the son and his mother were released on Tuesday.