Three ministers contacted police chief amid Yazan deportation crisis in Iceland

Three sitting and former ministers of justice contacted the national police chief on the morning that a young disabled boy was to be deported from the country. The case of Yazan has shaken the government coalition, revealing that more individuals reached out regarding the matter than initially thought.

On September 16, a hectic situation unfolded at the national police chief’s office. A department had picked up Yazan and his family from the hospital and they were waiting at Keflavik International Airport for their deportation.

As the situation escalated, members of the Progressive Party, who were part of the government at the time, expressed their opinions. It was previously reported that Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson contacted the police chief to discuss the deportation of Yazan and his family.

It has now surfaced that three members of the Independence Party, including two ministers, also reached out to the police chief. Minister Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir was confirmed to have contacted the police chief, and it has been revealed through official inquiries that Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, the Minister of Higher Education, Industry, and Innovation, also made a call, along with MP Jón Gunnarsson.

The ministers underscored that only the current Minister of Justice could make a decision to postpone the planned deportation, which was initially scheduled for September 16. The complexity of the case proved difficult for the government and has been cited as one of the reasons for the coalition’s recent unraveling. Minister Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir has publicly stated her opposition to the decision to halt Yazan’s deportation.