Ħamrun Hairdresser Arrested Mid-Haircut: From Dream Salon Owner To Detention Centre Detainee
Kusi Dismark was at work at his store, the Best Friend Salon (Adamfo Pa in Twi) in Ħamrun’s High Street, when police entered and arrested him mid-haircut, to the shock of his clients.
Kusi was taken into custody at Safi Detention Centre pending deportation, leaving the doors of his salon wide open as its owner left in handcuffs.
The thing is, technically, Kusi has been living in Malta illegally for 13 years.
Fleeing the Ivory Coast due to clashes with his family that made it difficult for him to live a normal life, he found a second home here.
However, he was denied asylum in Malta. He was allowed to work and study here, without access to free healthcare or education.
In June, 2011, he was given a removal order, but it was never affected. So he got a job, saved up money, enrolled in a hairdressing course in MCAST, saved up more money, and opened his dream salon.
He paid taxes and NI, and was running a successful local business. Nevertheless, he’s now locked away, terrified to be returned to Africa
Since his arrest, the community has come out to say what a trustworthy and hardworking man Kusi is. Indeed, his Maltese landlord even spoke to Times of Malta, saying he didn’t understand why the government would deport someone with a connection to the island, all while importing other third-country nationals with no connection at all.
MEP Cyrus Engerer even sent some online side-eye over this, sharing a status questioning the government’s leftist, worker beliefs while attempting to deport Kusi.
The government has every right to remove him. But with the Maltese workforce in need of dedicated workers who care about the island, is this the best way to handle the Dismark situation?
Do you think people in Kusi’s position should be deported, or a new mechanism should come into effect?
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