Former Political Candidate's Flight Observation Ignites Immigration Controversy
A prominent former Liberal candidate has ignited a fierce political storm after suggesting she may have witnessed a group of potential 'ISIS brides' being resettled in Australia, prompting an immediate and forceful denial from the Albanese government.
Flight Observation and Viral Video Claims
Katherine Deves, a lawyer and former Liberal candidate for Warringah, was travelling home to Sydney aboard Thai Airways flight THA471 on January 21 when she observed a group of women boarding in Bangkok. The women were dressed in niqabs and hijabs and were accompanied by children.
In a video that subsequently went viral across social media platforms, Ms Deves stated that the women were all wearing International Rescue Committee lanyards and displayed Australian government identification documents. These documents reportedly indicated 'migration status' and listed their nationality with the code XXA.
The nationality designation XXA is officially used to identify individuals who are formally recognised as stateless under the 1954 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
"Are these the ISIS brides?" Ms Deves questioned in her video, directly referencing ongoing debates about repatriating Australian citizens stranded in Middle Eastern refugee camps following the collapse of Islamic State. "Were they people being brought in from Syria or Gaza? I don't know, but I did see these people come in."
Government Response and Official Clarification
The video prompted a delayed but forceful response from the government, emerging several days later following inquiries from the Daily Mail. Immigration Minister Tony Burke issued a blunt statement declaring: "Katherine Deves is wrong. Again."
Official sources subsequently informed the Mail that the group in question actually belonged to the Rohingya ethnic minority from Myanmar's Rakhine State. The Rohingya community has faced systematic persecution, including mass killings and sexual violence, leading to a massive exodus from Myanmar.
A Home Affairs spokesperson elaborated on Australia's humanitarian program, stating: "Australia's Humanitarian Program accepts a range of individuals assessed as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, including stateless individuals. The government's Humanitarian Program contributes to regional stability and ensures we benefit from the significant contributions of humanitarian entrants to Australian society."
The spokesperson further confirmed that comprehensive security screening had been completed for all individuals, noting: "The Department screens all applications to determine if they meet security and character requirements. Checks against these requirements may be repeated at any time along a person's journey to Australia, while they hold a visa outside Australia, or after they arrive in Australia."
Deves' Call for Transparency and Broader Context
Despite the official explanation, Ms Deves has called for greater transparency from the government regarding resettlement processes. "It is typical of this government's secrecy that the Minister for Immigration's reply is a false ad hominem attack rather than a substantive response as to who these people are," she told the Daily Mail.
She further pressed: "And if these are not the ISIS brides, then where are the ISIS brides? The Australian people deserve to know."
This controversy emerges as the Albanese government continues to face scrutiny over its approach to repatriating families with connections to ISIS. While the government maintains it has not directly assisted with such operations, even following a high-profile return in 2025, recently released documents have raised questions.
Handwritten notes from Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster, disclosed after a Senate request, summarised a meeting involving Foster, Immigration Minister Tony Burke, representatives from Save the Children, and advocate Kamalle Dabboussy. Mr Dabboussy's daughter was reportedly coerced into joining ISIS before being repatriated with her children.
Though not a verbatim transcript, the notes suggested that Minister Burke acknowledged that 'public pressure' would make repatriations 'fraught', while advising officials not to 'rule it out' entirely. Another entry indicated: "Balance responsibilities… success of first cohort will be great help after we've got them home."
The government has since reasserted its position that it is not directly facilitating the repatriation of individuals described as 'ISIS brides', maintaining a distinction between general humanitarian intake and specific repatriation operations.
