Update 12 July 2016 – After one month of retention, two deportation/refoulement attempts, three appearances in court for a release request each time postponed, Mr Sow has been released and may at last join his family in Spain, his country of residence!
Update 30 June 2016 They did not dare. Mr Sow was taken to the airport and he refused his deportation. His escort did not insist and brought him back to the centre. Thanks to all who sent emails and faxes, sometimes it does work!
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On 13th of June 2016, Mr Sow was in transit in Brussels airport to go back to Spain where has been living for 14 years. Unfortunately, he had lost his documents during his travel and was not able to show his residence permit to the airport trafic police. Seen the absence of documents, the Foreigners Office asked the airport police to arrest Mr Sow and to bring him to the Caricole closed centre in Steenokkerzeel in view of his deportation to Guinea.
From the closed centre, Mr Sow got a document by the Spanish consulate in Brussels certifying that he was effectively in possession of a residence permit in Spain valid until 2020 and renewable. The Foreigners Office want to force him to go back to Guinea to ask the Spanish authorities for a new residence permit and buy a new ticket for Europe.
Mr Sow’s right of residence exists even without permit, and the Foreigners Office know it. The retention of Mr Sow is therefore perfectly illegal and his return to Guinea arbitrary.
Mr Sow has been advised to lodge a complaint against the Secretary of State for Immigration for arbitrary retention and violations of the right of freedom of movement of workers within the European Union.
It is totally incomprehensible that the Foreigners Office don’t want to grant him a simple let pass and enable him to rapidly go back to work in Spain. Indeed, the Foreigners Office always find a way to deport an undocumented person with a mere let pass. The Office prefer to cause him lots of troubles, and totally for free!
A release request of Mr Sow has been filed and should be dealth with on Friday morning 1st of July in front of the Judge’s chamber of Brussels. Strangely enough, the Foreigners Office already tried to deport him this Sunday and they plan to try a second time this Thursday 30th of June 2016.
Or how to avoid that a litigant is heard by a judge to complain about the way he is treated.
Write, mail, fax to
A man with a Spanish residence permit deported to Guinea
F.Roosemont
Directeur de l’Office des Etrangers
Bur_Presse@dofi.fgov.be
T02 793 80 31 (NL – EN) – 02 79380 30 (FR), Fax 02 274 66 40
Charles Michel
Premier Ministre
Tél: 02 501 02 11 Fax: 02512 69 52
e-mail:charles.michel@premier.fed.be
Jan Jambon
Vice Premier Ministre et Ministre del’Intérieur
tél: 02 504 85 13 Fax:02 504 85 00
email:kabinet.jambon@ibz.fgov.be
Theo Francken
Secrétaire d’Etat à l’Asile etla Migration
Tél: 02 206 14 21–
theo.francken@n-va.be
kab.francken@ibz.fgov.be
Didier Reynders
Téléphone : 02 501 85 91
E-mailcontact.reynders@diplobel.fed.be
