Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned refugees and asylum seekers in Australia that they will be deported if they commit crimes. The prime minister targeted the Iraqi Muslim refugee as the government ramps up efforts to deport more foreign criminals. “This is a sickening crime and this person has no business being in this country,” Mr Morrison told the Today show.

SBS (h/t Ted Y) Mr Morrison delivered the strong warning after the government cancelled the permanent protection visa of Sydney security guard Mohammed Hassan Al Bayati under laws that allow the government to kick out foreign criminals.

The 30-year-old, who arrived in Australia by boat in 2011, was sentenced to 2-½ to 4-½ years’ jail on Tuesday who kidnapped and a sexually assaulted a three-year-old Australian girl in a shopping mall where Al Bayati worked as a security guard.

Since 2014, the government boasts it has kicked out 4,000 visa holders who have committed crimes and been sentenced to at least 12 months jail.

The government is now proposing to further strengthen the ruling to allow it to deport anyone who commits a crime carrying a sentence with at least two years in prison, regardless of whether any jail time is imposed on the offender.

Mr Morrison said that is no reason not to be deported, suggesting Labor had given out protection visas “willy-nilly” when tens of thousands of asylum seekers arrived by boat. “Just because you’re on a protection visa, it’s a warning to anyone, we’ll cancel it and we’ll deport you,” Mr Morrison told Sunrise.

“This bloke has no right being here. He’s abused the generosity of the country that gave him a new start. And it was absolutely appalling.”

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