Geelong Advertiser

Foreign crim crackdown

- KEITH MOOR

AN unpreceden­ted and continuing blitz on foreign-born criminals has seen 2847 of them ordered out of Australia since December 2014.

It involves state and federal police working closely with intelligen­ce agencies and Department of Immigratio­n and Border Protection officers, with no plans to stop the crackdown.

The co-ordinated effort is being driven by Immigratio­n Minister Peter Dutton’s absolute determinat­ion to rid the nation of as many criminals as possible who are not Australian citizens.

Figures obtained by News Corp reveal the 2847 killers, crooks and creeps ordered out of Australia in the past three years include: 1115 THUGS convicted of assaults, grievous bodily harm and other crimes of violence. 455 DRUG trafficker­s and dealers. 223 SEX creeps convicted of paedophile offences and possession of child pornograph­y. 114 PERVERTS convicted of rape and other sex offences against adults. 54 MURDERERS and 21 people convicted of manslaught­er. 24 PEOPLE whose visas were cancelled on national security or organised crime grounds. 841 OFFENDERS charged with white collar and other crimes.

Outlaw motorcycle clubs are also being severely disrupted as the zero tolerance police and intelligen­ce agency blitz targets gang officer holders, with 147 senior bikies having had their visas cancelled in the past three years.

“We aren’t asking much — just that visitors to our country don’t kill, rape or rob Australian­s during their stay,” Mr Dutton said yesterday.

“If they do they’re out. Let the civil libertaria­ns argue against that.

“I have no doubt that by deporting convicted paedophile­s we are saving children from being future victims. The same goes for rapists and drug dealers.

“Criminal motorcycle gang members don’t have jobs or pay taxes — they sell drugs, run prostitute­s, steal, extort and kill. Why would we want them living among law abiding decent people?”

Under changes to migration laws in December 2014, Mr Dutton now has greater powers to cancel the visas of foreign-born people who fail to meet minimum character standards, or who have been convicted of an offence involving a jail term of more than 12 months.

Being a member or associ- ate of an organisati­on reasonably suspected of being involved in crime is sufficient for Mr Dutton to cancel a visa for failure to meet character standards — and bikie gangs certainly fall into that category.

Not all 2847 foreign-born criminals ordered out of Australia have left yet as many have lodged appeals against their deportatio­n orders.

Former Tasmanian Rebels bike gang leader Aaron Graham is one of those. He has appealed to the High Court against Mr Dutton’s decision to kick him out of the country, claiming it was “unconstitu­tional” to do so. The court has reserved its decision on the case.

Victorian sex creep taxi driver Jagdeep Singh, 34, is one of the thousands of criminals Mr Dutton has successful­ly kicked out of Australia.

He did so last month after Singh admitted indecently assaulting a female passenger.

 ??  ?? Minister for Immigratio­n Peter Dutton has greater powers to cancel visas of foreigners.
Minister for Immigratio­n Peter Dutton has greater powers to cancel visas of foreigners.

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