Austria deports Afghan sisters, children based on EU ruling

ZAGREB, Croatia – Two Afghan sisters and their three young children have been deported by Austria to Croatia after a landmark European Court of Justice ruling.

Khadija Jafari told The Associated Press in Croatia's capital of Zagreb that the family was ordered to leave Austria on Sunday.

Jafari and her sister arrived in Austria from Afghanistan in 2016. She says they did their best to integrate by learning German and enrolling the children in school.

Austrian authorities argued they should be sent to Croatia because of European Union regulations that require asylum-seekers to apply for protection in the first country they reached.

The European Court of Justice agreed.

Jafari said Thursday: "My child says every day, 'Why am I not going to kindergarten?' We want to go back to Austria; we cannot stay here."