Hope for Sonia

Twelve-year-old Sonia Idemudia was scheduled to be deported to Nigeria at the end of July – away from her Swiss father and back to her elderly grandparents (see article on the topic "Deportation: 'Sonia should be allowed to stay here'"). According to the Beobachter report, the Zurich migration office decided she could remain with her father until the end of September. An extension of her stay until the cantonal government's decision on the appeal was also indicated.

Her classmates are not abandoning Sonia: "We are fighting for her."

But things aren't going well for Sonia in the matter itself. Just four days after the application was submitted, the responsible Zurich government councilor, Hans Hollenstein, rejected a request for reconsideration. "That's very disappointing," says Sonia's lawyer, Marc Spescha. "Apparently, Hollenstein made his decision without seriously considering the arguments." Now, all hope rests on the entire government council – they might still decide in the girl's favor.

Sonia's plight has sparked sympathy and outrage. Her classmates, teachers, and the school psychological service wrote to the government council, pleading for a favorable decision for the twelve-year-old, who is very well integrated. "Please, let her live in Switzerland, like her younger siblings." And: "We won't just let her go. We're fighting for her," her classmates wrote. Her former teacher, Daniela Strohmeier, asks: "What kind of example is being set here? How can a strict immigration policy be placed above the child's welfare?"