Hamburg: Joel from Ghana will not be deported after all

Supported by his classmates and more than 100,000 people, 18-year-old Joel from Ghana has averted an impending deportation from Hamburg. The hardship commission has approved his request, its chairman, SPD member of the state parliament Ekkehard Wysocki, told the German Press Agency. “We call on the Senate to declare a hardship case so that it becomes a residence permit.”

A spokesman for the immigration authorities said: “Following the decision, a residence permit will now be issued very quickly.” This can be expected in the next few days.

The case of the 18-year-old high school graduate from the Nelson Mandela District School in Wilhelmsburg had received a lot of attention through a petition organized by his teacher and his classmates. Before the commission meeting began, they had symbolically presented Wysocki with a sign at the town hall with the demand “1, 2, 3, 4 – Joel stays here!” By Thursday morning, the petition had already been signed by more than 104,000 people on the Internet.

Immigration authorities must now decide

The decision of the four-member commission, in which the Green, CDU and Left factions are also represented, was made unanimously, said Wysocki. The commission can recommend a hardship case once all legal reviews of a deportation order have been completed.

“The immigration authorities can only decide according to the applicable residence law,” said their spokesperson. “Independently of the very careful technical and legal examinations carried out by the immigration authorities, the hardship commission has made a decision here that takes into account in particular the urgent personal reasons of the person concerned for permanent residence in Germany.”

“Joel is very well integrated and a hard-working student”

Joel said he came to Hamburg from Ghana four years ago as an unaccompanied minor to join his father and sister. Because he is now an adult, he should be deported, he told the DPA.

Joel learned the German language unusually quickly, said his class teacher Elif Basboga, who initiated the petition. She knows students who were born and grew up in Germany and who do not speak German as well as he does after only four years. “Joel is very well integrated, a hard-working student and will soon graduate from high school. There should be more people like him in Germany.”

When he showed her the letter from his lawyer a month ago announcing his deportation, it was clear to her and Joel’s classmates that something had to be done about it, said the teacher. The classmates distributed flyers all over Hamburg and approached people to tell them about Joel’s fate. This brought the class even closer together. “The students see what it means to actively live democracy and not just watch and let strangers shape things.”

Basboga was overwhelmed by the large number of supporters of the petition. “I initially hoped that maybe 1,000 votes would come together, that would be great. But over 100,000 votes – that’s a different dimension.”

Joel’s family lives in Hamburg

Deportation would not only have prevented him from completing his school education, said Joel. In addition to the loss of many friends, it would also have meant separation from his family, as he would have to return to Ghana without his father and sister. He too was deeply moved by the great support: “I can’t even express my feelings. I didn’t expect this.”