Victory for one family facing deportation

“It’s overwhelming. It has been so long waiting, and the community has stood by us. Students all over Australia have come forwards!” Dr. Bisawjit Banik has received great news: he, his partner Sarmin Sayeed and their 12-year-old son Arko have been granted permanent residency in Australia.

Their application was originally rejected on the grounds that their son’s autism would be a financial burden on the state. The months of nightmarish uncertainty are finally over for Bisawjit. He and his family have lived in Australia for the last nine years; now they no longer have to fear deportation.

The case highlighted that the inhumanity at the heart of the Immigration Department. The Monash Student Association, the student union on the campus where Dr Banik lectures, responded to this clear attack on the rights of migrants and people with disabilities by organising a public campaign against their imminent deportation.

A solidarity event attracted more than 200 students and staff, including members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). A similar action took place at La Trobe University. The Monash Student Association penned an open letter demanding the immigration minister intervene to overturn the decision. Signatories including the NTEU, the MUA, the ETU, the Australian Greens, and more than 300 university staff from across Australia.

This is a win for more than just Banik’s family. It is a small but important victory against the inhumane and coercive border security agenda of the government. Hopefully it can inspire others to take on the border security regime.

This campaign and its victory also provide us with an important lesson: protests and campaigns can win. Without such wide public support, the original ruling would have been swept up under the carpet, as is the case for many deportations. Peter Dutton and the department aren’t known for their sympathy.

What was different about this case to others was the sustained and growing grassroots campaign in support of Biswajit, Sarmin and Arko. We are so often told that there’s no point protesting; no point taking a stand. This small victory shows what can happen when student unions, trade unions and left wing people throw themselves into activity. As Bisawjit told Red Flag:

“The campaign helped us a lot, made it visible and helped us explain to the community. Everyone should try to support families who are going through this, because having a very strong campaign can really make a difference.”