Albanian Immigrant’s Deportation Halted Over Son’s Food Sensitivity

An immigration tribunal recently decided that a father’s deportation should be delayed because sending him back to Albania could adversely affect his 10-year-old son. The judge highlighted the child’s peculiar refusal to eat a specific type of chicken nugget commonly available outside the UK as evidence of his sensitivity, underlying the broader rights of family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case in question involves Albanian national Klevis Disha, who entered the UK under controversial circumstances when he was a teenager. Despite having a history marred by criminal proceedings and a fraudulent asylum claim later invalidated by authorities, Disha had previously managed to secure British citizenship and build a family in the United Kingdom.

The legal dispute centers on the argument that forcing the family to relocate would be excessively harsh on the child, especially given his reported sensory challenges and special educational needs, which were corroborated by expert testimony and local observations. Although one judge questioned the weight of a single example involving chicken nuggets as a justification for severe hardship, the decision underscores the complex interplay between individual family rights and immigration policy.

This ruling occurs amidst a broader trend of increasing asylum appeals based on human rights claims, which are complicating efforts by the government to expedite the removal of migrants without legal status. As officials ramp up measures against illegal working and related criminal activities, political figures from both sides of the debate are voicing strong opinions, with some condemning the perceived leniency in the application of immigration laws.