Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung says immigration authorities have suspended their decision to deport three Indonesian girls from Taiwan. The girls were set to be expelled from the country after their father’s permanent residency status was revoked for violating Taiwan’s banking laws.
Writing on Facebook on Friday, Hsu says the interior ministry decided to suspend the deportation on humanitarian grounds and to allow the family to reunite. He says the ministry also considered the fact that all three girls are legal minors attending school in Taiwan. In addition, Hsu says authorities took into account the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic outside Taiwan’s borders.
Before Hsu’s announcement on Friday, the girls had personally written to the interior minister asking him not to deport them from Taiwan.
The National Immigration Agency says the girls’ father is still legally required to leave the country. As for the girls themselves, the agency says it is seeking expert opinion on how to proceed.