Deportation impending for 17-year-old Oscar; Minister stays silent on the matter
Rewritten Article:
The Minister of Justice refuses to comment on the deportation case of 17-year-old Oscar Anders Florez Bocanegra, a Colombian teenager living in Iceland. According to her aide, the case is still under appeal, limiting her direct involvement.
Oscar's plight has stirred public anger, with protests held outside the Ministry of Justice yesterday. The teenager, who escaped Colombia with his father in 2022 after encountering dangerous criminal groups, is facing deportation for a second time, despite concerns over his safety and well-being.
A Tumultuous Past and a Wobbly Present
Oscar's situation is far from straightforward. Reports suggest his father was abusive and surrendered custody. Initially denied asylum, both were deported in October 2024. Upon their return to Colombia, Oscar's father abandoned him at the airport. Alone and just 16 at the time, Oscar survived a month on the streets of Bogotá before his Icelandic foster family brought him back to Iceland.
Now, he faces deportation once more, without a new legal hearing. His application was dismissed as a "repeat case."
"The case is still under appeal," said Jakob Birgisson, assistant to Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir, in an interview with mbl.is . "She has no involvement in individual cases that are still being processed."
"He wants to stay with us. He can't imagine being anywhere else. We are his family," says Oscar's foster mother. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
A Cry for Humanity
Oscar's foster family has appealed the decision, but this does not pause the deportation process. His voluntary departure deadline expired yesterday. His foster mother, Sonja Magnúsdóttir, says the family lives in constant fear, uncertain when or how the deportation might take place.
"He is deeply distressed," she said. "His friends are taking shifts staying with him so he won't be alone."
The family worries Oscar could be removed from the country in the middle of the night, just as he was last time, when he was picked up from a school bathroom in Hafnarfjörður.
"He wants to stay with us. He can't imagine being anywhere else. We are his family," Magnúsdóttir added. "You don't give up when your child is in danger. And we see him as one of our own. We're not going to send him out to die."
Medical Alerts Raised
Oscar's lawyer submitted an urgent appeal to the Immigration Appeals Board yesterday, asking for a delay in the deportation until the appeal hearing can occur. The appeal includes medical opinions from specialists at the National Hospital's child and adolescent psychiatric department and doctors at Hringurinn, the Children's Hospital. They strongly warn that deportation would indeed harm Oscar's mental health.
Despite these warnings, the Directorate of Immigration only reached out to the lawyer yesterday, just hours before the deadline, to inquire if Oscar needed assistance departing the country.
An Uncertain Future
Oscar remains in limbo. While his legal team and foster family continue to fight for his right to stay in Iceland, the threat of immediate deportation still hangs over him.
His story is now resonating with the public, casting doubts on how immigration laws are enforced - and whether compassion is being sacrificed in the name of procedure.
- The ongoing deportation case of Oscar, an adolescent from Colombia living in Iceland, has sparked fierce public opinion, fueled by concerns for his mental health and overall well-being.
- In the realm of science and health-and-wellness, specialists at the National Hospital and Hringurinn have voiced their opinion on Oscar's case, warning that his deportation could negatively impact his mental health.
- The situation with Oscar is a contentious issue in the realm of politics and general news, with the public questioning the balance between upholding immigration laws and demonstrating compassion, particularly in cases involving minors.
- The fate of Oscar, a teen who has faced a tumultuous past and is now faced with an uncertain future, hangs in the balance, despite his foster family's pleas and the appeal for a delay in his deportation.
- The debate surrounding Oscar's removal from Iceland extends to the realm of crime and justice, with the family fearing he could be taken away in the middle of the night, as he was before, from a school bathroom in Hafnarfjörður.
- The Oscar Anders Florez Bocanegra case has become a poignant cry for humanity, not only for the adolescent himself but also for the broader discussion it initiated about the role of compassion in politics and law enforcement.
