The Australian government has issued a Temporary Exclusion Order (TEO) to prevent one of its citizens from returning home from a detention camp in northeastern Syria, citing national security concerns and alleged links to the militant Islamic State (IS) group.
This is the first time Australia has used this rarely applied power, which allows authorities to bar an Australian citizen from re-entering the country for up to two years if they are considered a potential security threat.
What happened
A group of 34 Australians, mostly women and children related to suspected IS fighters, were being held in a camp in Syria. Camp authorities had conditionally allowed them to leave and travel toward Damascus in an attempt to return to Australia. However, Syrian officials stopped their journey due to incomplete documentation and returned them to the camp.
Following this, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, acting on advice from security agencies, issued a Temporary Exclusion Order against one individual in the group.
What a Temporary Exclusion Order means
A TEO does not cancel citizenship but temporarily blocks entry into Australia while authorities assess and manage security risks. It can last up to two years and can be renewed. Officials said that, so far, only one person met the legal threshold for such action, and others in the group are still being assessed.
Government position
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would not assist in repatriating people with extremist links and stressed that protecting Australians from terrorism remains the top priority. He added that children in the camp were not responsible for their situation but were there because of decisions made by their parents.
Background
Temporary Exclusion Orders were introduced into Australian law in 2019 to deal with citizens who travelled to foreign conflict zones and may pose a risk if they return. The law has been controversial because it temporarily limits a citizen’s right to re-enter their own country.
This case highlights Australia’s ongoing dilemma over how to handle citizens who became associated with extremist groups overseas, especially those still stranded in detention camps after the defeat of IS.
