Could Samsudeen have been deported after all?

The Herald reports:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would have been “very, very difficult” to deport Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, the New Lynn mall terrorist.

However, she said the Government will explore whether there were other avenues that could have been taken to deport him.

Ardern has come under fire from Opposition Leader Judith Collins, who argued that two sections of the Immigration Act would have given the Government the grounds to deport Samsudeen.

“Immigration Law in New Zealand provides that the Minister of Immigration can certify that a person constitutes a threat or risk to security and, with Cabinet’s approval, the Governor-General can order that person be deported,” Collins said.

Collins noted that the Refugee Convention allowed countries to deport refugees on the “grounds of national security or public order”, which would likely cover Samsudeen.

This is why we need an independent inquiry into the attack. Was the Minister of Immigration made aware he could deport Samsudeen? If so, what consideration was given to it?

On the fact of it , this was an ideal situation for the Minister;s power to be used.