Australia quickly offered protection to Iranian women footballers who drew global attention. At the same time, new migration laws aim to prevent other Iranian visa holders from even reaching Australia.

We may never know whether Trump’s tweet about the Iranian women’s soccer team had anything to do with how the Australian Government responded. That tweet certainly doesn’t reflect his approach to Iranian asylum seekers more generally.

The recent migration legislation introduced by the Australian government, with full support from the opposition and One Nation, suggests we care about Iranian asylum seekers who have acquired media fame but not for those who have not.

Around the same time that some of the Iranian women’s soccer team had escaped their management team, Trump had tweeted about the whole team that “the US will take them if you won’t”. Media reports suggest our Prime Minister was quickly in touch with Trump to re-assure him Australia had the matter in hand. Immigration Minister Tony Burke was on the scene to quickly sign documents granting them humanitarian stay.

As the rest were leaving an Australian airport, it is reported government officials took the extraordinary step of taking each into a separate room to inquire about their interest in seeking asylum. While most (if not all the others) did not........

© Pearls and Irritations