Above, immigration detention center on Christmas Island, remote Australian territory in Indian Ocean. Hundreds of “501 detainees” are imprisoned there, facing deportation under Canberra’s law using “character grounds” to cancel visas of long-term residents. The law especially targets workers from New Zealand. Left, a fire at compound Jan. 10 after several days of sit-in protesting indefinite detention without family visits or contact with anyone.
By Claudia Kaiser-Lenoir
May 1, 2021