6 year old who's lived half of life in Sheffield set to be deported to Poland
An Iraqi girl - who's lived half her life in Sheffield - is to be deported to Poland along with her parents
An Iraqi couple in Sheffield's urging the government not to deport them and their 6 year old daughter to Poland - where they can't even speak the language.
Mariam Al-Abodi's lived half of her life in Sheffield - her and her parents came here three years ago and claimed asylum.
But because they lived briefly in Poland, they're now being sent back there.
Mum Sundus is worried it'll badly effect Mariam:
"She doesn't like to go any place - even out of Sheffield - she says "no I don't like to go away". When I tell her we have to go she says 'no, no, I'm scared to go there - I want to stay here. It's very safe here, I would like to be safe'"
"When she listens to me and her dad speak about this she feels upset and sometimes she doesn't want to eat. She goes and sits in the corner and one time I found her crying. She's very happy with her school and her friends and life - she has very lovely friends and a good school. She doesn't want anything to change."
Mariam has settled well in Sheffield, is doing well at school and has lots of friends, as do her parents.
The Sheffield City of Sanctuary project are urging the Home Office to reconsider deporting the family as it'll have such a big impact on them.
Sarah Eldridge is from the project - she's also got worries about Mariam:
"We're concerned and her teachers are concerned that if she were taken to another country where she doesn't speak the language, where she'd be having to mix with new people, it would really set her back in her own development."
"They've lived in Sheffield for 3 years, they've got friends here, they're settled within the community, they're contributing a lot to the city. And we would just ask the government to look at their case of a humanitarian basis and let them stay here."
Hillsborough and Brightside MP Gill Furniss has written to the Home Office about the case - she told Hallam she's following the case closely:
“Since this case was raised with me six weeks ago I have been working to support the Al-Aboudi family. I am particularly concerned about the impact this is having on Mariam, and have been liaising with the Home Office to try and reach a speedy resolution.”
A Home Office spokesman said:
"The UK has a proud history of offering protection to those who genuinely need it but asylum seekers should claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in.
“Where there is evidence that an asylum seeker is the responsibility of another European country we will seek to return them there under the Dublin Regulation.”