An 11-year-old boy who was born in Amsterdam is facing deportation to Armenia because he does not meet tougher criteria for child refugees.

Mikael, who is set to start in first year at the Cygnus Gymnasium after the summer, won his case in court in 2021 but the justice ministry is pressing ahead with its deportation plans, and the issue is now before the Council of State.

More than 25,000 people have signed a petition calling for the boy to be allowed to stay, and Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema has personally telephoned junior minister Erik van der Berg, appealing for clemency.

Mikael and his mother live in a refugee centre in Zuidoost district and she has been in the country since 2010. “We are thankful for having a roof over our heads but this is not a safe environment,” she told the Parool. “People use drugs, vapes and drink. We have no fridge, no washing machine and Mikael needs somewhere quiet to do his homework.”

On August 1, Mikael and his mother are set to be moved to a new location to prepare for being sent to Armenia. “The IND can as well send me to Ghana,” Mikael told the paper. “I know as much about that country as I do Armenia.”

In 2013, the Dutch government brought in an amnesty for children over the age of five who had spent all or most of their lives in the Netherlands but were living in illegality, following the storm surrounding Mauro Manuel. Manuel was put on a plane by his mother at the age of 10 but was threatened with deportation when he reached 18.

Mikael was not eligible for the amnesty because he was not yet five, and that means he falls under tougher regulations introduced in 2019.

The family has been waiting for a definitive ruling for 2.5 years.