Twin siblings face deportation to Somalia despite pending teen asylum safeguard
Twin siblings Aliya and Najib, who fled Somalia as children, are being forced onto a flight to Somalia after Swedish authorities revoked their residence permits.
Ten years after escaping al-Shabaab, twins Aliya and Najib are set to be deported from Sweden. Though their mother and younger siblings hold permanent residence, the twins lost their status upon reaching adulthood and were placed in detention at Märsta. A flight booked for today will take them from Arlanda, with police and two nurses accompanying Najib due to his epilepsy, through a stop in Turkey to Mogadishu.
Their attorney Eva-Lena Hannerfors appealed to the “teenage valve” that extends permits for youths up to 21, but Migrationsverket rejected the claim, saying the twins are too old. The lawyer has also lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, awaiting a decision. Swedish opposition parties have criticized the government's handling of the policy, while the prime minister denied halting teen deportations.
Why it matters
The case exposes shortcomings in Sweden's asylum system that leave young adults at risk of forced return.
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