A schoolboy born in Ireland who made headlines last year when he was threatened with deportation has been told he can remain in the country indefinitely.

More than 67,000 people signed a petition asking Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to revoke the deportation order and allow 5th class pupil Eric Zhi Ying Mei Xue to stay in Ireland.

Eric (10) was born in Ireland, but in 2015, his mother, Leena Mei Mei Xue, received the devastating news that he could face deportation to China since her son is not an Irish citizen.

An appeal against the decision was rejected last year, which left the primary school student facing the threat of being sent to a country where he would have no access to the health or education systems.

Eric’s school St Cronan’s in Bray, who started the petition, described the Department of Justice’s decision as “fantastic news”.

“We would like to thank all the supporters of our petition and the Minister for Justice for granting both Eric and his mother leave to remain and live a normal life, safe in Ireland” the school said in a statement.

The Migrants Rights Centre of Ireland [MRCI] said that the 10-year-old can now live with the peace of mind that his residency in Ireland is secure.

“Over 67,000 people signed the petition, and today they got some amazing news: Eric is safe from deportation, and his future in Ireland is assured,” it said on Twitter.

“MRCI team members have been working hard on Eric’s case since last year, and we are overjoyed that he can now live his life free of the shadow of deportation and the heavy burden of being undocumented.

“Eric had the support of his school, his community in Bray, our caseworkers, local politicians, plus all the wonderful people across Ireland who signed the petition. It shouldn’t take all that to make a child safe in their home.”

The MRCI added that there are many other undocumented children and young people like Eric across Ireland. 

“The Taoiseach has committed to giving them a pathway to papers; these children can’t wait any longer,” it said.

Eric’s mother was 19 when she arrived in Ireland illegally in 2006. She has been appealing a deportation order for the past three years with the final appeal rejected in June, 2018.

The legislation behind this predicament dates back to the 27th amendment of the Constitution Act of 2004.

This amended the Constitution of Ireland to provide that children born in Ireland to parents who were both foreign nationals would no longer have a constitutional right to Irish citizenship.

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