Israeli Authorities Demand Deportation of Filipino Mother Despite Daughter's Citizenship

The Israeli Population and Immigration Authority has ordered the deportation of Telma Casao, a Filipino woman who has lived in Israel for over 20 years and is the mother of a 16-year-old Israeli citizen, Adi Lev. The deportation order, expected to be enforced next week, stems from Telma's failure to provide official documentation proving her divorce from a man she married nearly 30 years ago in the Philippines. Despite living in Israel with her Israeli partner, Eyal Lev, and their daughter Adi, the authorities have refused to regularize her status.

Telma was granted a temporary residence permit two years ago, contingent on her obtaining a divorce certificate from the Philippines, which she has been unable to secure. Her legal representatives explained that due to her family ties in Israel, she could not comply with the requirement to reside temporarily abroad to finalize the divorce. A previous attempt to divorce in the Philippines was rejected, even after traveling there with her Israeli partner.

The Population Authority declined to renew her temporary permit and instructed her to leave Israel. In a letter to her lawyers, the authority emphasized that the right to family life is relative and not absolute, criticizing the lack of progress in legalizing her status. Telma's daughter Adi, who holds Israeli citizenship by birth, expressed distress over the impending separation, calling her mother "her whole world" and pleading for the decision to be reconsidered.

Adi's father, Eyal, condemned the decision as harmful to the entire family, stating no Israeli citizen should face a choice between their country and their child's mother. Attorney Tomer Varshe, representing the family, urged the authorities to apply compassion and reason, emphasizing that bureaucratic delays abroad should not justify breaking up an Israeli family. The Population Authority responded that the process and requirements were clearly communicated and that the appeal was lawfully rejected due to missing documentation.

The case highlights the tension between immigration bureaucracy and the rights of Israeli citizens to family unity, with the family and their lawyers calling for a humane resolution to prevent the forced separation of mother and daughter.