Students last night held a vigil outside the Department of Justice appealing against the deportation of a Nigerian woman.
The woman, Ms Christina Onasanwo (18), and her family were served with a deportation order in recent weeks. Since then their case has been taken up by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
USI claims the family fled Nigeria in 1999 because Ms Onasanwo and her sister were at risk from female genital mutilation ordered by tribal elders.
USI is asking the Department of Justice to rescind the order. The woman has completed her Leaving Cert and is hoping to take up a third-level place in DIT.
Ms June Coghlan, women's rights officer with USI, said: "Christina Onasanwo should be celebrating the fact that she has passed her Leaving Certificate and has been accepted to study business studies in Rathmines.
"Instead, she now faces the horrific prospect of returning to her homeland."
USI said the procedure of female genital mutilation often resulted in death from bleeding, shock, infection or tetanus.
USI said it had made appeals to the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, on the matter but he had not responded.
Ms Coghlan said USI was appealing to him to honour international human rights commitments and reverse the deportation order.
"There is only one fair and reasonable outcome to this - the deportation order must be reversed," said Ms Coghlan.