A Mother’s Fight: Can Zahira Stay With Her?

Nur Amira’s Indonesian citizenship status has been revoked after she was identified as a foreign national. Following her deportation to Malaysia, she faced rejection from local authorities because her citizenship data was already being used by someone else. Consequently, she was deported back to Indonesia and now faces the threat of yet another deportation from Indonesia.

Nur Amira, 43, has once again experienced the stark reality of the Agam Immigration Office’s detention facility, where she has been held since Friday, September 19, 2025. This ordeal follows the revocation of her Indonesian Identity Card (KTP) by the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration, leaving her effectively stateless.

Her complex journey began when, in October 2024, Nur Amira was reported to immigration authorities as an undocumented immigrant from Malaysia. Acting on this tip, Agam Immigration promptly launched an investigation, summoning Amira for questioning regarding her nationality. During the interrogation, Amira explained that while she was indeed originally from Malaysia, she had resided in Payakumbuh for the past 28 years.

“I was brought here by my mother and my stepfather, who is a native Indonesian,” Nur Amira recounted to Halbert Caniago, a journalist reporting for BBC Indonesia, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. “I was only about eight years old in 1996.” At that time, her biological parents had divorced, and her mother had remarried an Indonesian man named Martius. “When I first came here, I had a [Malaysian] passport and a birth certificate issued by a hospital in Malaysia,” she clarified.

Years passed, and Amira never reported her presence to Immigration, as she was never informed that, as a foreign national, she was required to report periodically. After nine years of living with her mother and stepfather in Payakumbuh, Amira finally obtained an Indonesian KTP when she turned 17 in 2006. “I received that KTP after I was included in my stepfather’s Family Card (KK),” she stated. Both Amira and her mother, Nuraini, were subsequently issued Indonesian National Identity Numbers (NIKs) without undergoing the official naturalization process stipulated by the Indonesian government. Armed with this KTP, Amira even participated in Indonesia’s democratic processes, voting in general elections from 2009 until 2019.

In 2009, Amira married an Indonesian man from Payakumbuh and gave birth to a daughter, Zahira. However, her marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce in 2015, leaving her to raise her daughter alone. Amira lived a normal life, much like any other Indonesian citizen, until her foreign national status was discovered by immigration authorities. “In October 2024, someone who knew my status reported me to Immigration, and I was summoned by them,” she explained.

In October 2024, Amira was picked up from her home in Situjuah by an Agam Immigration team. Both Amira and her mother were taken to the Immigration Office for processing. Following the proceedings, Agam Immigration deported Amira on October 25, 2024. Her mother had previously been deported on June 12, 2024.

After her deportation, Amira found herself in Malaysia, intending to arrange her civil documents as a Malaysian citizen. Strangely, her Malaysian identity data appeared to be missing. “According to the Malaysian government, when I tried to process my documents, they said someone else had that data, but it wasn’t me,” Amira revealed. She was instructed to locate the individual who had used her identity to prove that the data was indeed hers and not someone else’s. “Everything was the same. Only the photo associated with the name Noor Amira in the Malaysian data was not mine, and the person had already completed their registration,” she lamented. “In that situation, I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t know the person who had used my data, nor did I know their whereabouts.”

For five agonizing months, she was adrift in Malaysia, until misfortune struck again. “I was arrested by Malaysian coastal police who suspected me of being an illegal immigrant there. I was taken to the police station and interrogated,” she recounted. During the questioning, Amira asserted her Malaysian citizenship and explained that she had been deported by Indonesian Immigration in October 2024. “They didn’t believe my statement and searched my phone. There, they found a photocopy of my Indonesian KTP and immediately threw me in jail,” she said. After a trial, Amira was imprisoned in Malaysia for two months, deemed an illegal immigrant in the neighboring country.

“They also checked with the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Johor Bahru and confirmed that I was indeed registered as an Indonesian citizen,” she stated. Ultimately, Malaysian Immigration deported Amira to Indonesia, providing her with a Travel Document in Lieu of a Passport (SPLP) issued by the KJRI Johor Bahru. Using this SPLP, Amira re-entered Indonesia through the Yos Sudarso Dumai Immigration Office and continued her journey back to Payakumbuh. Amira finally arrived in Payakumbuh, reuniting with her daughter, Zahira, who had been without her mother for nearly six months.

Upon returning to Situjuah, Amira resumed her daily activities working at a quail farm. “After a few months, I planned to transfer my residency data from the Payakumbuh City Government to the 50 Kota Regency Government,” she explained. However, during this process, Amira’s population data was found to be blocked, once again confronting her with citizenship issues. With her NIK, obtained in 2006, blocked by Dukcapil, Amira officially became stateless.

“To unblock it, the Payakumbuh Disdukcapil told me to request a certificate of Indonesian citizenship from Immigration,” she said. Driven by her desire to transfer her residency data, Amira immediately visited the Agam Immigration Office to request an Indonesian citizenship certificate, armed with the SPLP from KJRI Johor Bahru. “When I arrived, the Immigration officers were surprised to see me and asked why I had returned. I immediately showed them the SPLP I had been given,” she recalled.

Upon seeing the SPLP, Agam Immigration was puzzled and asked Amira to explain how she obtained it. “I recounted everything I had experienced to the Agam Immigration officers. After that, they told me to go home while they would process the letter I requested,” she said. Approximately a month later, Amira received a call from Agam Immigration, precisely on Friday, September 19, 2025.

Amira went to the Agam Immigration office, hoping the call was to pick up her Indonesian citizenship certificate. Her hopes were dashed, however, when she discovered she was not receiving a citizenship certificate but a revocation of the SPLP issued by KJRI Johor Bahru. “I was shocked that the SPLP was revoked, and I was immediately detained here at Agam Immigration and taken straight to the detention room. I never expected something like this,” she confessed. Amira admitted to being terrified of another deportation, given that her data in Malaysia is no longer hers, and all her data in Indonesia has been revoked. “I just hope I can be allowed to stay here with my child because my child still needs a mother. She has no one else but me,” she pleaded.

‘Don’t separate Zahira from Mama’

Zahira, 15, Nur Amira’s only daughter, is deeply distressed by her mother’s plight. The teenager, who serves as the head of the student council at SMPN 1 Situjuah, has opted to temporarily stop attending school due to her mother’s situation. This high-achieving student has decided not to take the mid-term exams currently underway at her school. “Zahira’s teacher allowed her to take the exams later, once this issue is resolved, so that Zahira can focus and her grades won’t be affected,” said the 9th-grade student.

Beyond her inability to focus on studies, Zahira has also taken on her mother’s responsibilities at the farm after her detention by Agam Immigration. Zahira now handles various chores, including cleaning the house, cleaning the quail cages, and cutting grass for the goats. “Usually, Zahira only helps at the cafe. But now, since Mama can’t, Zahira has taken the initiative to do all of Mama’s work,” she explained.

Zahira recounted that when her mother was summoned by Agam Immigration officers, she was already worried her mother would be detained again, or even deported. “Zahira had a bad feeling when Mama left for the office.” The premonition of the teenager, who is the overall champion student at her school, proved true. Amira was detained at Agam Immigration and did not return to their modest home in the Situjuah garden. “Mama didn’t come home and can’t be with Zahira. Zahira is very afraid of losing Mama again, like last year,” she said, holding back tears. But the tears finally flowed as Zahira recalled her mother’s condition.

The next day, Zahira still went to school. She had to wake up at 5:00 AM WIB to complete the chores her mother couldn’t do, then continued to school to pursue her education. “But at school, Zahira had no spirit to learn. She constantly thought about Mama. Zahira is very afraid that Mama will be deported again and leave Zahira,” she said. Wanting to help her mother, the teenager, whose father left when she was young, decided to take action to ensure Amira could stay with her and not be deported to Malaysia. “Zahira took the initiative to write a letter to the Head of Agam Immigration, asking them not to deport her Mama. Because Mama is all Zahira has. If Mama is deported, Zahira will be left alone,” she explained.

The letter, dated September 26, 2025, was not only sent to the Head of Padang Immigration but also forwarded to the West Sumatra Ombudsman and circulated among media outlets, making the story viral on social media. Zahira was assisted by Fadhilla Putri, the owner of Dhila Farm, where Amira works. Dhila’s efforts include writing to the Ministry of Law to seek assistance for Amira’s current predicament. “In addition, friends from LBH Padang are also helping to find a solution for Amira’s current problem,” she added.

Elfin Mahendra, a lawyer from LBH Padang, stated that his team had met with the Head of the Agam Immigration Office, Disdukcapil, and Komnas HAM for coordination. “Looking at this event, there are several opportunities for us. First, our client has family here, such as a child and two maternal siblings. According to Article 63 of Law Number 6 of 2011, her siblings can potentially guarantee our client,” he said. The next step is to write to state institutions and coordinate with the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Affairs regarding Amira’s stay permit in Indonesia. “Most importantly, if deportation does occur, the government must ensure clear citizenship for Amira,” he stressed.

The West Sumatra Representative Office of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is also involved, ensuring “no human rights violations are committed by state institutions against Nur Amira.” The Head of Komnas HAM West Sumatra Representative Office, Sultanul Arfin, stated that he has coordinated with the Head of Agam Immigration Office and Nur Amira to ensure that no human rights violations occur during the deportation or any other enforcement actions.

Why did Agam Immigration deport Amira?

Putu Agus Sugiarto, Head of the Immigration Information and Communication Technology Section at the Class I Non-TPI Agam Immigration Office, explained that Amira’s apprehension was due to her being identified as an illegal foreign national in West Sumatra. “In October 2024, we received a report regarding an illegal foreign national residing in Payakumbuh. Following this, the team immediately conducted surveillance and investigation,” he stated.

Putu identified Nur Amira as Noor Amira binti Ramli, a Malaysian citizen born in Melaka, Malaysia, on September 28, 1988. “Her biological mother is Nuraini, a Singaporean citizen. Her biological father, Ramli, a Malaysian citizen, passed away in 2012,” he added. According to Putu, Nur Amira’s stepfather brought her, her mother, and her half-sister to Indonesia on August 24, 1996. Nur Amira, who was about eight years old at the time, officially entered Indonesia with a Malaysian passport issued by Melaka Immigration, valid from August 12, 1996, to August 12, 2001. “For 28 years, Nur Amira grew up and lived in Indonesia. She even obtained a KTP in 2006, an Indonesian Family Card, officially married an Indonesian man in Payakumbuh in 2009, divorced in 2015, and gave birth to a child named Zahira,” he continued.

Upon discovering Amira’s foreign national status, Agam Immigration took action by deporting her on October 25, 2024, via Minangkabau International Airport. “Previously, we had also deported Nuraini, Nur Amira’s mother, to her home country, Singapore, on June 12, 2024,” he elaborated. After the deportation, Putu stated that the Agam Immigration Office immediately handed over Nur Amira’s KTP to the Payakumbuh Disdukcapil on October 29, 2024.

“On August 21, 2025, Nur Amira came to the Agam Immigration Office to request an Indonesian citizen certificate as a requirement to reactivate her Indonesian KTP, which had been deactivated by the Payakumbuh Disdukcapil,” he explained. He revealed that Amira returned to Indonesia using an Indonesian SPLP issued by the KJRI Johor Bahru on March 27, 2025. “From her confession, Amira entered Indonesia through immigration inspection at Yos Sudarso in Dumai,” Putu said.

As they were aware of Amira’s foreign national status, on August 28, 2025, the Agam Immigration Office sent a letter to KJRI Johor Bahru regarding the issuance of the SPLP. “On September 17, 2025, the Agam Immigration Office received a letter from KJRI Johor Bahru notifying them of the cancellation of Nur Amira’s SPLP document,” he stated. Consequently, they immediately summoned Amira for examination regarding the SPLP cancellation, and she provided information that she had been arrested by Malaysian Immigration in Johor Bahru. “From her statement, she admitted to being a Malaysian citizen, but Malaysian Immigration in Johor Bahru did not believe her and deported her to Indonesia,” he said.

Putu mentioned that on September 30, 2025, they received an email from the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan, requesting the Agam Immigration Office to bring Malaysian citizen Nur Amira for the process of issuing an emergency passport. “Currently, we are awaiting the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan to issue the emergency travel document, which will be used for her deportation to Malaysia,” he stated. Putu affirmed that in the near future, Agam Immigration would transport Nur Amira to the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan for the creation of the emergency travel document, after which she would be deported. “There, she will undergo biometric photography, fingerprinting, and other procedures until the emergency travel document is issued by the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan,” he added. However, Putu could not yet confirm when they would take Amira to the Malaysian Consulate General.

Reasons for the revocation of Nur Amira’s KTP

Putu disclosed that the revocation of Nur Amira’s KTP was indeed proposed by the Agam Immigration Office to the Payakumbuh Disdukcapil. “We proposed the revocation of the KTP because the individual did not follow the proper steps to become an Indonesian citizen, as regulated in Law Number 12 of 2006,” he explained. Putu emphasized that Nur Amira would not lose her Malaysian citizenship, as the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan had stated it would issue an emergency travel document. “That emergency travel document can then be used for her repatriation to her country of origin,” he continued.

Ali Imran, Head of Population and Civil Administration (Kabid Adminduk) at the Payakumbuh City Population and Civil Registry Office (Disdukcapil), confirmed that the revocation of NIKs for Nur Amira and her mother, Nuraini, had indeed been carried out by the Directorate General (Ditjen) of Population and Civil Registry (Dukcapil). “It was us who filed for the blocking of Nur Amira’s NIK. We proposed the blocking due to a submission from the immigration authorities,” he stated. With Nur Amira’s NIK now blocked, she is officially no longer registered as an Indonesian citizen. He explained that Nur Amira’s error in obtaining her previous KTP was not following proper procedures.

“Becoming an Indonesian citizen is not that simple. One must first have a Limited Stay Permit Card (Kitas) for five years and report to immigration once a year. Subsequently, a foreign national must possess a Permanent Stay Permit Card (Kitap) for 10 years,” he detailed. After that, a foreign national can apply for a Foreign National KTP. “This Foreign National KTP is different from an Indonesian Citizen KTP like the one Nur Amira had. A Foreign National KTP is pinkish-orange, not blue like an Indonesian Citizen KTP,” he clarified. According to Imran, once a foreign national has such a KTP, they gain some rights similar to Indonesian citizens, but certain rules still apply. “This is the process that Nur Amira did not follow during her time in Payakumbuh; instead, she directly obtained an Indonesian Citizen KTP, which we then proposed to block,” he asserted.

Imran acknowledged that the KTP Amira obtained in 2006 was a lapse on the part of the government at the time, which was not meticulous enough in its data collection. “As we know, at that time there was no integrated data system like there is today. KTPs could even be made at the village office,” he noted. He revealed that with the manual data collection in 2006, the Payakumbuh City Disdukcapil invited Nur Amira to record her KTP data for the transition to electronic KTPs. “From the records we’ve examined, it’s likely that Nur Amira was included in the mass recording conducted between 2010 and 2013,” he said.

Ali Imran further stated that Nur Amira had not been honest with either the Indonesian or Malaysian governments throughout the duration of the case. “According to the information we received, when she was arrested by Malaysian police, she was working on an oil palm plantation, and when apprehended, she claimed to be an Indonesian citizen by showing a photocopy of her KTP stored on her phone,” he recounted. According to Imran, this was the basis for Malaysian immigration to deport Nur Amira, leading to the KJRI Johor Bahru issuing the SPLP.

What about Zahira’s citizenship status?

Ali Imran firmly stated that the NIK blocking was only applied to Amira, while her daughter Zahira’s NIK is still active. “So, Zahira’s NIK is still active and not blocked. She can still exercise her rights as a legitimate Indonesian citizen because she was born here, and her father is also an Indonesian citizen,” he confirmed. According to Imran, Zahira currently does not have a Family Card (KK) because she is only 15 years old and cannot independently possess such a document. “The solution is that Zahira’s name will be included in her step-aunt’s KK or another KK willing to include her name. This is because one must be 17 years old to have their own KK,” he explained.

Imran stressed that Zahira would not be affected by her mother’s NIK blocking. She would still be eligible for health insurance and scholarships, like other Indonesian students. Despite these regulations, Ali Imran expressed hope that immigration authorities would not be overly rigid in applying the rules to Nur Amira, as other regulations could be considered. “We also once handled a similar case involving a Swiss citizen who wished to remain in Payakumbuh,” he shared. He suggested that a viable solution could be a guarantor, either from her relatives or an influential person in the Payakumbuh or 50 Kota Regency area. “That 80-year-old Swiss citizen was guaranteed by a datuak here and allowed by the immigration authorities. With that, her Kitas could be issued,” he continued. However, she still had to report to immigration once a year until she obtained a Kitas as her legal document in Indonesia, eventually leading to a Foreign National KTP. “We hope this approach can also be applied to Nur Amira, as we can consider the humanitarian aspect. Her child is still young and needs a parent to guide her,” he hoped.

Government must prioritize humanitarian approach

Virtuous Setyaka, an international relations observer from Andalas University (Unand), stated that Nur Amira’s status falls under that of a stateless person, an individual considered to have no nationality due to various issues. “The main concern is usually that stateless persons’ fundamental human rights are at a very high risk of being violated,” he said. “Therefore, in my opinion, Amira’s citizenship should be clarified immediately,” he added.

According to the lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisip), the Agam Immigration’s plan to deport Nur Amira is “less appropriate.” The first consideration, according to Virtuous, should be who Amira is and how she has lived in Indonesia. “Or there are other aspects, such as her having a family. Especially her daughter, who should be a consideration. This means Immigration must adopt a more humane approach that accommodates her fundamental human rights,” he explained. This would prevent immigration authorities from being perceived as deporting individuals without due consideration. Although, legally and formally, immigration or the Indonesian Government might be able to deport Amira, other factors must be weighed.

By taking such an action, Virtuous believes Indonesia would garner negative views internationally. “Because it would be seen as unable to resolve this issue more effectively or wisely,” he commented. According to Virtuous, this moment should be an opportunity for the Indonesian Government to improve its image in managing citizenship matters. “Even though there are problems that are considered confusing or, in some aspects, detrimental. However, if not managed as well as possible, the world’s political view of Indonesia will worsen,” he added. Virtuous drew an analogy: the Indonesian Government, which has always shown concern for humanitarian problems in other countries, is now neglecting a humanitarian issue on its own doorstep, even within its own home. “Humanitarian approaches should be emphasized more, rather than rigidly enforcing laws that can actually be reformed,” he concluded.

Reportage by journalist in Padang, Halbert Caniago

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