Tag Archives: deportations
Tories back down on deporting to Jamaica those who came to UK as kids
According to the Guardian the government has partially backed down on the deporting to Jamaica those who were children when they came to the UK will not now be deported.
That could be more than half of the flight of 50 detainees originally slated for deportation.
Thankfully the Jamaican government has made representations to the UK government to stop the cruel and barbaric action but unfortunately still leaves many other individuals facing deportation.
The flight is still scheduled to depart the UK on Wednesday 2 December.
Stop deporting to Jamaica people who have been in UK most of their lives
Karen Doyle from the Movement For Justice says of a sample of 20 cases due to be on the fight on Wednesday, none had arrived in the UK before the age of 12.
Doyle told the Guardian: “With previous flights the proportion who arrived here as children was always much higher. This is a welcome change and something that has been fought for for many years. But the secrecy around it is disturbing. A backroom deal just for this flight is not acceptable. The change must apply to all those who came as children regardless of their country of origin.”
Bella Sankey, the director of Detention Action, also questioned the secrecy surrounding the deal, urging for the law to be changed to prevent people who arrived as children (under 18) being deported: “If true, this agreement marks progress in reforming our barbaric deportation system, but why the secrecy? To be effective, this rule must be written into the law so that it can provide protection in practice and should be applied equally to all who arrive in the UK under 18, wherever they may have arrived from.”
Jamaica50: stop this mass deportation flight! Tories are the real criminals
The Jamaica50 detainees have won support from eighty-two Black British public figures, who have spoken out against the proposed mass deportation of Black people to Jamaica.
Among the celebs joining the fight are model Naomi Campbell, historian David Olusoga, actors Thandie Newton and Naomie Harris, and writer Bernardine Evaristo (author of Booker Prize-winning novel Girl, Woman, Other).
The group is appealing to the airlines to boycott the flights and believe that the government in all probability will be breaking the law through rushing to deport the detainees.
As we reported previously, the deportation scheduled to take place on 2 December.
Many of the Jamaica50 individuals having spent the majority of their adult lives in the UK, and their deportation deprives families of their loved ones, as the government steps up its racist immigration policies.
According to campaign group Movement for Justice, eight of the men slated for deportation have 31 children between them, but the government couldn’t care less.
The last flight to Jamaica took place in February, when 17 men were deported – a reduction fro the original number after intervention by the courts.
Tories are the real criminals
The government justifies its stance by saying those threatened with deportation are “foreign criminals”.
Any ‘foreign national’ who has committed an offence that has led to a custodial sentence of 12 months or longer can be summarily deported.
Rayan Crawford, who had been in the UK since he was 12, was kicked out of the country on the February flight for minor burglary offences. His partner Jana says Ray had a problem with a gambling addiction at the time.
Rayan suffers from a rare bone condition called Blount’s Disease and inflammatory arthritis. He hasn’t been able to get hold of the medication he requires apart fro a month’s supply from a charity. All health care has to be paid for in Jamaica.
Speaking from Jamaica, Ryan reports: “There is no free medication in Jamaica—even if you want to see a doctor, you have to pay for it. There was a charity organisation, but it said it could only give medication to me for the month.”
According to human rights lawyer Jacqueline Mckenzie, the majority of people who have been singled out for deportation have committed drug offences.
A number of Tory ministers (Michael Gove) have admitted to taking drugs, as has the prime minister Boris Johnson, but neither of them face deportation or prison.
McKenzie says that no one who has been in this country since they were children should be facing deportation to a country they know nothing about and have no connections with.
“If you have been in the UK as a child, you shouldn’t be deported irrespective of what your offence is. Whether you’ve got the right documentation or not, you’re culturally British, you’re part of this society. You’ve offended here, you are punished here, and your punishment is going to prison. People should not be punished twice,” says McKenzie.
Jamaica50 – the Windrush Scandal rolls on
Most of the Jamaica50 being held prisoner in the removal centres are the descendants of the Windrush Generation of migrants to the UK, who were invited here by the government after the war to plug the huge labour shortages facing the country at the time.
The fear the deportations are spreading through the African-Caribbean community are immense, as people who don’t have the correct papers now live in fear of possible deportation.
Not surprisingly, the government wants to forget the part played by Britain’s Jamaican colony in making the country what it is today. Without the slave trade and the wealth created in Jamaica, there would probably have been no industrial revolution in the UK.
And of course, during the time when Jamaica was a colony, those who resided there were told they were British.
But even after taking all that into account, we should not let the government divide people into ‘good’ migrants and ‘bad’ migrants, as they try to whip up racial division. to deflect attention from their own failings.
Sadly, the government’s dirty work is being fronted by daughter of immigrants Priti Patel, backed up by the new Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch.
Zita Holbourne from campaign group BARAC UK, speaking this afternoon at a People’s Assembly event, said there is no Covid safety in the detention centres, apart from the taking of temperatures.
“Detainees are mingling and moving around, but families are banned from coming to the detention centre,” Zita explained. “This is unlawful according to the European Court of Human Rights because of the right to family life.”
Zita continued: “Each person is chained to two guards… there will be no social distancing – it will be a full flight. The Jamaican government are also out of order.”
Jamaica, a poor country, is handling the pandemic much better than the UK government, but this flight will help to spread the disease on the Caribbean island.
TUI Airways doing the Home Office deportation charter?
TUI Airways looks like it is the airline that will be carrying out the deportation – their customer service number is 0871 231 4787
BARAC UK have launched a petition to #stoptheplane on change.org – click here.
There’s a Twitter storm taking place this afternoon, using the hashtags:
#stoptheplane
#jamaica50
Zita also mentioned that an immigration reporting centre in Newham in east London, which has a large population that comes from Black, Asian and minority ethnic population – as a way to further intimidate Black and Asian people. Watch this space for more on that to follow.
Thanks to Zita Holbourne for the art featured here
Roberts brothers Darren and Darrell and Osime Brown – 3 steps for justice
| Table of contents | |
| Roberts brothers and Brown cases | Stop these deportations |
| Step 1: Read more about it | Step 1: links to background |
| Step 2: Find your MP | Step 2: MP lookup |
| Step 3: Write a letter template | Step 3: letter template |
| The Windrush Betrayal | Get the book, watch video |
The Home Office plan to deport UK-born Darrell and Darren Roberts to countries they have NEVER been to. Due to failures of social services they have never received UK citizenship. Despite serving their time, they face deportation due to short prison sentences.
Darrell and Darren “were taken into the care of social services when they were 13 after the deaths from cancer in quick succession of their mother and later of the uncle who looked after them when she died. Their father had moved abroad before their mother’s death and they have had no contact with him for decades.” (The Guardian)
The Home Office similarly plans to deport Osime Brown, a 21 year old autistic man, to Jamaica (a country he left when he was 4 and has no current family connections with). He has been in the UK for 17 years. He was wrongfully incarcerated and has been sent a deportation notice.
These injustices demonstrate failures of social services and the Home Office, underscoring the evident systemic racism that lies within.
The following link is a call to action, urging people to educate themselves on these stories and write to their MP (including an email template). Unfortunately, the official UK parliament petition website does not allow petitions about individuals, and Parliament does not acknowledge or recognise petitions from other websites.
Step 1: Read more about it
Darrell and Darren Roberts’ case
The National Autistic Society’s response to Osime Brown’s case
Background on deportation and Windrush Scandal
Step 2: Find your MP’s contact details
Click here!
Step 3: Write to your MP
Feel free to write your own words or use the following template:
Dear _____________ MP,
My name is ______, I am ______ years old and have been constituent of ______ for _____ years. I am writing as I’ve recently read of a few similar stories that have completely angered me (though not completely shocked).
Today I read the news that London-born twins Darrell Roberts and Darren Roberts are facing deportation to countries they have never been to. Due to indisputable failures of Ealing social services, these London-born young adults, never received UK citizenship.
Similarly, an autistic 21-year old man named Osime Brown faces deportation to Jamaica, which he left when he was 4 years old – he has no family connections there. He too was terribly failed by the social care and education system. Here is a link to the National Autistic Society’s response to this injustice, as well as their letter to the Home Secretary.
As your constituent, I am urging you to take action, revoke these deportation notices and stop these deportations. These stories demonstrate failures of social services and the Home Office, underscoring the evident system racism that lies within.
Please use your position of power and influence to stop these deportations, along with the many others I have not mentioned today, and push conversation and action in parliament to address the Home Office’s horrible history of deportation of Black UK-born or raised residents.
I look forward to hearing back.
The Windrush betrayal
The Roberts brothers and Osime Brown are just the latest victims of the WIndrush scandal.
When former prime minister Theresa May introduced her infamous ‘hostile environment’ regime it led to many people from the Windrush generation and their descendants being caught in the Home Office’s unfair and draconian measures to hunt down ‘illegal immigrants’, even though these people were originally invited to the UK by the British government.
Many who came to the ‘Mother Country’ did not regularise their status by seeking British citizenship or a passport.
Then when they accessed public services under the new regime, they were unable to produce documents proving citizenship and one thing led to another.
People lost their jobs, were billed massive amounts for health care services, were deported and some went on holiday and were then refused re-entry to the country.
Tragically others committed suicide or were drive to despair and mental illness by the constant worry of the knock on the door from immigration authorities.
Journalist Amelia Gentleman has written the definitive investigation of this continuing scandal and you can order your copy here:
Watch her recent talk at the Bookmarks bookshop: