Former child refugee relieved by decision

The lawyer for former Somali child refugee Abdoul Abdi says his client was relieved — and in disbelief — after Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced in a tweet that Ottawa would not pursue his deportation.

Benjamin Perryman said Wednesday that Abdi told him he nearly fainted when he saw the tweet late Tuesday night from Goodale that said the government “respects the decision filed on July 13 by the Federal Court concerning Abdoul Abdi.”

“His initial response was one of disbelief,” said Perryman in an interview. “In my view, it should not have taken this long for the government to see the injustice in pursuing deportation against Mr. Abdi, but better late than never.”

Last week, a Federal Court judge set aside a decision to refer Abdi’s case to a deportation hearing, finding Ottawa did not take his charter rights into consideration.

Perryman said learning the news about Abdi from a tweet Abdoul Abdi’s sister, Fatouma Abdi, second left, leaves Federal Court with supporters after a hearing to determine whether deportation proceedings should be halted for the former child refugee, in Halifax on Feb. 15.

was “unorthodox,” and he has not yet received official confirmation from the public safety minister’s office.

But, he believes it means the federal government is dropping deportation proceedings altogether, something he called “a fantastic result for Mr. Abdi and a just decision.”

“Lawyers like to see things signed on the dotted line and a tweet from the top of government is great, but we want to confirm exactly the details of what that means for Mr. Abdi,” he said.

The Canada Border Services Agency detained Abdi, who was never granted Canadian citizenship while growing up in foster

care in Nova Scotia, after he served about five years in prison for multiple offences, including aggravated assault.

Abdi, who has never lived in Somalia and has no ties to the country, had sought a judicial review of the federal government’s decision to refer his case to a deportation hearing.