Suspected spies and terrorists among those expelled from Australia

Killers, gangsters, suspected terrorists and spies from almost 100 countries are among those being thrown out of Australia.

Exclusive: Killers, gangsters, suspected terrorists and spies from almost 100 countries are among those unceremoniously chucked out of Australia in one of the biggest purges of “undesirable” ever seen in recent times.

And suspected dissidents and undesirables from China top the list of foreigners removed involuntarily from Australia in the last 12 months, with their visas cancelled for posing “a risk to the health, safety or good order of the Australian community”.

New Zealanders top the list of Con Air foreigners removed from Australia. Picture: ABF

Figures obtained from the Home Affairs Department under Freedom of Information show citizens from literally half the world’s countries have been removed from our shores, with COVID-19 global flight restrictions proving no barrier.

Indeed in 2020, more foreigners were removed for either having served 12 months or more criminal sentences or deemed a national threat to the community than during the previous eight years.

From May 1 to December 16, 2020 the Australian Border Force removed 238 “unlawful citizens” with another 14 having their visas cancelled. This is on top of the 342 removed in July 1 2019 to April 2020.

Documents obtained by News Corp show most of those removed under section 501 of the Migration Act – where a visa holder has been sentenced to 12 months jail or found guilty of a sex based crime involving a child – were from New Zealand followed by the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Fiji, India, China and the United States.

Australian Border Force have chartered an aircraft hire to remove criminals including drug traffickers, paedophiles, kidnappers, child abusers and gangsters from Australia. Picture: ABF

Of those removed under section 106 of the Act as posing a risk to the Australian community the numbers are smaller with just less than 10 from each country starting with China, India, New Zealand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

According to the figures provided by Home Affairs, China has topped this category every year since 2012.

Charter flights remove unlawful non-citizens whose visas are revoked, from Australia. Picture: ABF

In all citizens from 98 nations have been voluntarily or involuntarily removed, more than 1800 New Zealanders alone since 2012.

A spokesman for Australian Border Force said there were strong provisions under the Migration Act that allowed Minister Peter Dutton or a delegate to refuse or cancel a visa if that person was no longer considered to be of good character.

“A significant reduction in the availability of commercial flights has impacted ABF’s ability to conduct escorted removals of high risk individuals,” the spokesman said. “The ABF has conducted charter removal operations in order to continue with removal of unlawful non-citizens during COVID-19 restrictions.”

Originally published as Suspected spies and terrorists among those expelled from Australia