After a protracted legal battle, parents of thirteen-year-old Noriko Calderon, Arlan and Sarah Calderon have been deported from Japan due to immigrating using falsified passports. The government of Japan had issued an ultimatum for the thirteen year old: stay in Japan where she was born or leave the only home she has known with her parents.
Like many Pil-Ams do over here; she attended school in Japan, spoke Japanese, and never learned her parents' native dialect. An avid Hip hop fan, she loves to dance and hopes to teach at a dance school someday. Similar to the Cuevas family half a decade ago, there was both an avid grassroots movement to keep the Calderon family together while many activist nationalists opposed stating it was a "malicious" violation that would shake the foundation of their immigration control should they be allowed to stay.
Activists say that the situation violates human rights accusing, the country of violating the UN Convention on Rights of the Child. Meanwhile, her parents say that it will be better that she stay in Japan rather than return to the farmlands they had left behind in the early 1990s, though they are regretful stating "we won't be there when she needs us the most."
My ate actually brought this story to my attention, really interesting since we just did coverage about TnTs (Tago ng Tago, a euphemism for undocumented immigrants) a few weeks ago. What's interesting is I'm not quite sure being born in Japan makes her a citizen by their law since I think the CNN article covering the story says that she's allowed to stay with an aunt through a visa that will be assessed yearly.
Sources Utilized
School Girl told to choose: Country or parents - CNN.com/asia
