Welcome to America as refugees start new lives

The inscription on New York’s Statue of Liberty unequivocally expresses the attitude of the immigrant nation that is the United States of America. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,” it reads. Flying to Los Angeles via Manila, the refugees from Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island who once sought a new future in Australia will not see the statue or its inscription but they will experience the benefits of its practical implementation. For all the clamping down on illegal immigration by Donald Trump and his focus on extreme vetting for arrivals, especially from certain Muslim nations, the US remains the most desired immigrant destination and maintains one of the world’s most generous immigration systems. So the 24 men who arrived in California yesterday and about 30 people expected to arrive from Nauru today are being given an extraordinary opportunity to begin a new life in one of the most prized locations in the world. On this score alone the refugee deal struck by Malcolm Turnbull with his then counterpart Barack Obama last year — and honoured despite deep misgivings by Mr Trump — is a humanitarian triumph.

There are outstanding questions for Australia. Will the US continue to honour the deal given Mr Trump’s political discomfort? How many refugees will be taken? Can it be implemented without providing any hint to people-smugglers that Australia once again offers a plausible path to First World resettlement? This will need to be managed carefully by our border protection authorities and diplomats, but the hope remains that 1000 or more refugees can be resettled in the US in coming months so the backlog of people detained offshore can be overwhelmingly reduced. There are about 1700 people who have been given refugee status on Manus Island and Nauru who could be considered by the US. A further 400 have had refugee claims rejected. Those rejected can return to their countries of origin — as 700 arrivals have done since 2013 — or remain detained indefinitely. Refugees on Manus Island who are not accepted in the US could settle in PNG; those who miss out from Nauru might stay in limbo, depending on other resettlement arrangements including with Cambodia.

For all the trauma and uncertainty of offshore processing, the evidence is that Australia has provided the appropriate care and services. It has taken too long to resettle the refugees, but this was never going to be easy after the floodgates were reopened by the Rudd Labor government in 2008. It has been three years and 63 days since a people-smuggling boat delivered any asylum-seekers into our care. History tells us that by stopping this evil trade hundreds of lives must have been saved, not to mention the costs of detention and chaos that would have enveloped our migration system. We hope the first US arrivals clear the way for many more, so that all those who qualify as refugees can move on. The Coalition deserves great credit for fixing this mess. But we need national resolve to never lose control of our borders again.