1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,000 Speaker 1: Bread. 2 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 2: The deportation of a New Zealand born teenager has been 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 2: put on hold and the Associate Immigration Minister now has 4 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 2: to decide whether he's allowed to stay for good. Eighteen 5 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 2: year old Damon Kumar was classed as an overstayer the 6 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 2: moment he was born because his mother was an overstayer. 7 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 2: He was set to be deported this week, but he's 8 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 2: made a last ditch appeal to the government through the media. 9 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 2: Damon's lawyer, Alista mcclemont joins me Alistair good. 10 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: Evening, Yeah, Hi, Ryan, nice to be here. 11 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 2: Why has this process taken eighteen years. 12 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: It's a really good question. I mean, there are a 13 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: large number of long term overstayers in this country and 14 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: basically the longer the youthorities don't do anything about it, 15 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: the easier it is for these people just to sort 16 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: of vanish in the system. And what this current situation 17 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: illustrates is the danger of when those long term overstayers 18 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: have children, and those children get to this sort of age, 19 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: it becomes really really complicated because of the humanitarian needs 20 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: for those childs. 21 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 2: Is are the parents still facing deportation or just yes, right, Soarents. 22 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: And Darman and not the older sister because the older 23 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: sister was born as a citizen before the law change. Yes, 24 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: and that was in two thousand and six with the 25 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: law changed regarding what they call birthright citizenship, which is 26 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: a hot topic in the United States right now. 27 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 2: This is a very sad situation for Daimon. Do you 28 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 2: accept that this is not his fault, but also not 29 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,479 Speaker 2: the government's fault, his parents' fault. 30 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, adults have responsibilities and obligations, 31 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: and you know they need to face up to those. 32 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: But day man, you know what obligations did he have 33 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: as a newborn baby, as an older star and he 34 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: didn't even know anything about his immigration status until he 35 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: became a teenager when he started to sort of put 36 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: pieces together. So yeah, absolutely, adults have obligations to you 37 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: abide the law just like everybody else. 38 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 2: If so compassionately, you're saying, if we send them to 39 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 2: back to his parents' home country, he doesn't speak the language, 40 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: he doesn't know much about it, he's never lived there. 41 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 2: But if his parents are also deported at the same time, 42 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: then would they not go as a family unit? 43 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: You know, one of the reasons that the parents came 44 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: here and went underground. Is because they come from what 45 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: they call those untouchable caste in India. You know, that 46 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: three thousand year old system where whatever cast you're born into, 47 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,959 Speaker 1: you know, your you know, discriminated against the rest of 48 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: your life. That's one of the reasons that they came 49 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: to New Zealand to protect you know, their future and 50 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: future children from that sort of discrimination. So they're going 51 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: to go back and face that same sort of discrimination 52 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: and those same challenges, something that Damend Kumah knows absolutely 53 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: nothing about because he's been luckily raised in New Zealand 54 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: where we don't have such a horrible discriminatory system. 55 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 2: Alie to thank you, Aliston mclemont, Damon Kumar's lawyer. For 56 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 2: more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news 57 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 2: Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the 58 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 2: podcast on iHeartRadio.