Hundreds of immigration detainees and unlawful non-citizens are being threatened with a minimum of one year in prison if they refuse to cooperate with efforts to deport them, under an urgent Labor bill to be introduced on Tuesday.
The bill requires non-citizens “to cooperate in efforts to ensure their prompt and lawful removal”, creating criminal penalties that could apply to a class of asylum seekers that includes two plaintiffs before the high court challenging the legality of the detention of people who refuse to cooperate with deportation.
