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Politics

Greens senator facing deportation after trying to visit asylum seeker camp

Greens senator Nick McKim expects to face deportation from PNG later today.

Papua New Guinea officials are set to deport an Australian politician after he attempted to visit an asylum seeker camp on Manus Island.

Greens senator Nick McKim is in PNG to mark the sixth anniversary since Australia reinstated offshore detention for asylum seekers arriving by boat.

Senator McKim was travelling with journalist Behrouz Boochani, a refugee on Manus Island, and had been seeking to enter the East Lorengau camp on Manus.

He expects to receive the deportation notice later today and said he would comply with it.

The East Lorengau camp is one of two facilities holding asylum seekers on Manus Island.

Senator McKim said he "politely" asked an official at the camp if he could enter to inspect the conditions inside.

"The Papua New Guinea Immigration Department took my passport from me and refused to give my passport back and said that in my previous visits I had misreported what has been happening on Manus Island," Senator McKim said.

He said he refused to leave until his passport was returned, which happened about 20 minutes later.

Senator McKim had planned to stay in PNG until Saturday, having arrived on a multiple entry 12-month visa.

"I left the gate with my passport and I was walking down the street and a police vehicle stopped me," he said.

"There was one immigration official in that police vehicle and four heavily armed police officers in the vehicle.

"They told me that I had to get in their vehicle. I asked them if they were arresting me and they said 'no' and I then said, 'I'm not getting in the vehicle, I am free to walk down the public street on Manus Island'.

"The immigration official then said to me it doesn't matter what I do, he will be coming around to my hotel later today to issue me with an official deportation notice."

The ABC has contacted PNG authorities for comment.

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