Armenian boy raised in the Netherlands will be deported; "No exceptions," says minister

Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber has said that there is nothing she can do for Dutch-born Mikael (11) and his Armenian mother, who are not allowed to stay in the Netherlands. The minister reiterated that she no longer has the authority to make an exception in dire cases, claiming that right expired in 2019.

“We are not going to make any exceptions,” Faber said during an official work trip. Mikael’s mother arrived in the Netherlands in 2010 and stayed in the country even though her asylum and residency requests were denied.

Mikael was born in 2012. According to Faber, Mikael and his mother must leave the Netherlands within 28 days of the court ruling, which was on July 31. Mikael and his mother must, therefore, be out of the country before the end of this month.

Faber placed the blame squarely on Mikael’s mother, among others. “She also has a responsibility in this. She heard very quickly that she has no right to stay here.”

A rally and march in support of the boy is scheduled for Wednesday evening in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. This was organized by a woman who lives in the same neighborhood as the family, and the organization Defend the Children.