10 Apr 2018

Immigration criteria shows racial profiling - lawyer

From Morning Report, 8:10 am on 10 April 2018

The Immigration Minister has temporarily suspended a controversial data modelling programme that was being used to profile overstayers. Last week RNZ News revealed the existence of the programme, which has been running for the last 18 months. Immigration NZ compliance and investigations area manager Alistair Murray said it was being used to target people who could be a cost to the health or the justice system and who should be deported quickly. But the minister, Iain Lees-Galloway, says his officials insist that neither race nor nationality were used. Alastair McClymont is an immigration lawyer, who has seen the documents provided by the Minister and his officials. He tells Guyon Espiner the criteria in the documents do show racial profiling.