An immigrant who has been living and working in Malta for 13 years is claiming he is to be deported to a region plagued by conflict, and he fears he could end up dead or in jail.

Yosuf Ahmed Adam, 38, was among several Ethiopian migrants who were arrested and detained in August and told they would be deported to their home country as they cannot be granted refugee status in Malta.

But Adam says he has been in Malta for so long that he feels it is his home now. He has worked legally since he arrived here and has never got into any trouble with locals or the police.

“You can look it up for yourself – look up ‘Amhara region’ on the internet – and you’ll see there is fighting over there,” he told Times of Malta.

“I live a good life in Malta, but if they’re going to send me back where there’s conflict, I’m going to die. I’m going to die for sure. They will kill me or send me to jail. I am very scared.”

Speaking in relatively clear and fluent Maltese, Adam, who has been held at the Safi detention centre for over 100 days, expressed his concern for the future, saying that before his arrest, he was living a stable and productive life.

In a reply to questions the Home Affairs Ministry would not comment on the specific Ethiopian region where Adam is to be sent, but said it has checks, balances and safeguards to ensure repatriations are fair, efficient, humane and sustainable.

Times of Malta first reported the issue in August, describing how the Ethiopian community is “in shock” and “living in fear” as a number of people who have been living and working legally in Malta for up to 17 years were being arrested at their place of work.

At least five were arrested and detained and then told they would be sent back to Ethiopia. Adam is one of them.

They were informed that their application for refugee status had been rejected, even though some even had their own businesses in Malta.

‘I grew up here’

Adam said that when he made the crossing from Libya by boat in 2011, he was 25 and was fleeing war, but since then has lived and worked in Malta and now feels like a child of this country.

“I love Malta, you could say I grew up here. I have grown accustomed to life here and I learnt Maltese,” he said.

“And I get on really well with the Maltese people, I have nothing to complain about. As long as you treat them well, the Maltese people will treat you well.”

He said that up until he was detained last summer, he was working legally and had no trouble with his employer, his clients, or the police.

“You can go check my criminal record – it’s clean,” he said.

‘Decisions not taken by the minister’ – Ministry

A spokesperson for the Home Affairs Ministry said, “decisions on international protection are not made by the ministry or the minister”.

“In recent years, the ministry has significantly invested in the International Protection Agency to ensure it has the necessary resources to carry out its mandate effectively and guarantee a fair and efficient asylum process,” they said.

“The International Protection Agency has introduced measures to improve Malta’s asylum system, including streamlining procedures, updating templates to ensure decisions are legally and factually sound, and establishing a Quality Control Unit.

Additionally, a Returns Unit was set up in 2021 to support voluntary returns and ensure humane, sustainable repatriations with reintegration assistance.”

The government has previously defended the deportations as part of an EU initiative to increase readmission efforts with Ethiopia and has often said that allowing irregular migrants to keep living in Malta will only encourage more of them to make the dangerous crossing from Africa, essentially putting more lives in danger.

Deporting migrants who do not have refugee status sends the message that Malta is open to those who want to come over and work above board, but not for human traffickers, the government argues.

But activists, critics, migrants and the Church disagree, and the issue has recently been the subject of protests and demonstrations.

They argue that this is a harsh and inhumane treatment of people who have become integrated into Maltese society.

Lawyers and activists have raised concerns about the lack of due process and the potential violation of human rights. They argue that the government should consider a more compassionate approach, especially for those who have been living in Malta for many years.

The government has defended its actions, stating that those who do not qualify for international protection are offered voluntary return packages. However, many Ethiopians have refused these offers, preferring to remain in Malta where they have built their lives, it said.

But civil society organisations, the Church, and the PN have joined in condemning the government’s actions and urging it to reconsider its stance.