Sixth thug associated with Apex gang has visa cancelled
EXCLUSIVE: A SIXTH thug associated with the Apex street gang has had his visa cancelled and will be forced to return to New Zealand after a string of violent offences.
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A SIXTH thug associated with the Apex street gang has had his visa cancelled and will be forced to return to New Zealand after a string of violent offences.
The 20-year-old man, who was on a list of suspected Apex gang members, had his visa cancelled on February 6 and is in Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre awaiting deportation.
He was in Australia on a Special Category Visa known as a 444 which allows New Zealand residents to live and work in Australia as long as they remain New Zealand citizens. The young thug had an extensive criminal record dating back to 2010 when he was in his early teens.
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He was convicted of theft, assaulting a police officer, possession of cannabis and breach of bail and recently served 12 months in jail.
The Herald Sun understands Immigration Minister Peter Dutton cancelled his visa because he posed a risk to the safety of the community.
Mr Dutton refused to comment on the case yesterday but recently told the Herald Sun he had an “open mind” to further strengthening migration laws for foreign-born offenders, making it harder for them to remain in Australia.
The latest visa cancellation is the sixth linked to the notorious Apex gang, of which four were from New Zealand.
Last year 173 foreigners living in Victoria had their visas cancelled after migration laws were tightened in 2014 giving the Immigration Minister the power to deport non-citizens who fail to pass a character test or who have been convicted of an offence involving a jail term of more than 12 months.
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Several cabinet ministers have recently expressed support for plans to further strengthen the law so any term of imprisonment triggers a visa cancellation.
As part of the proposed gang crackdown, thugs associated with violent street gangs such as Apex would also have to wait 10 years before being allowed to apply for citizenship, rather than four. The recent crime wave in Victoria has also sparked calls for a joint police taskforce of Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police to target gang crime.
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