Asylum seekers to be deported from Iceland amid protests at Keflavik International Airport

A group of asylum seekers from Venezuela is scheduled to be deported from Iceland tonight. Seven to eight families will be flown to Madrid, Spain, and subsequently sent back to Venezuela. A significant number of Venezuelans, around forty individuals, are currently at Keflavik International Airport to protest this deportation.

One of the protesters, Betsy, an asylum seeker from Venezuela, expressed her fears for the future if she is forced to return, stating that more individuals are awaiting deportation in the coming days. Previously, applicants from Venezuela were granted additional protection in Iceland due to the situation in their home country. However, the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration has assessed the situation in Venezuela as safe for over a year, leading to denials of asylum applications from that region.

Hundreds of Venezuelans seeking international protection in Iceland are now waiting for deportation or a decision regarding their cases. Bryndís Haraldsdóttir, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare and Education, mentioned that the issue of Venezuelan asylum seekers will be discussed in the committee this autumn. She does not believe that legislative changes are needed to ensure that individuals are not sent back to dangerous conditions.