“Stressful, uncertain period” for Armenian boy and his mother set to be deported

This is now a “stressful and uncertain period” for Armenian 11-year-old Mikael and his mother, said Dave Ensberg-Kleijkers, the head of the primary school in Amsterdam where the boy is currently enrolled. He and his mother are expected to be deported from the Netherlands within the week.

Mikael was born in the Netherlands, and his mother’s request for asylum and residency since her arrival more than a decade ago were rejected. After years of flying under the radar, the authorities caught up with them and announced plans to deport them. This despite the fact that the child has lived his entire life in the Netherlands.

Mikael and his mother were told by the Council of State on July 31 that they are not allowed to stay in the Netherlands and will be deported to Armenia. This normally happens within 28 days of a ruling by the highest administrative court in the country.

Previous applications for a residence permit have all been rejected. After the ruling by the Council of State, a series of demonstrations and expressions of political support from opposition parties have called on the government to let the boy and his mother remain in the Netherlands after all.

Ensberg-Kleijkers is mainly in contact with the boy’s mother. “You can imagine that they are frustrated and angry.” He said he does not know where the family is staying, and added, “that is also confidential.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Asylum and Migration also said it was “unclear” where Mikael and his mother were staying. However, the government service responsible for executing the deportation is busy arranging the “travel documents” for the two, he said.

They have not yet set a date for the deportation. Applying for a new asylum procedure, which has been suggested as a possibility, would “in theory be possible, but I am not aware of anything about that,” said the ministry spokesperson.