London: At least 16 men have been detained at Colnbrook and Brook House immigration detention centres and several have been issued with Removal Directions for the 2nd December. Those detained include people who have been in the UK since early childhood and have British children. Many of the men have partners who are key workers and have been on the frontline of the COVID pandemic. If it goes ahead, the flight will be the second charter to Jamaica of the year, and the third since the Windrush Scandal broke in 2017. It comes amid fresh internal complaints of systemic racism within the Home Office following the resignation of Alexandra Ankrah, the most senior Black member of the Windrush compensation on grounds it is ‘unfit for purpose’, and while thousands of Windrush cases and compensation claims remain unresolved.
Lawyers and campaigners are warning that there is a real risk of unlawful removals, including of Windrush descendents and those who face real risks of harm or even death if removed. Between March 2018 – May 2019, at least five men deported from the UK to Jamaica were killed. According to a newly published poll carried out by ComRes[1] earlier this year, the majority of British people disagree with the automatic nature of the UK’s deportation laws. The UK’s controversial deportation laws currently make it mandatory for the Home Office to seek the deportation of non-British citizens who receive a custodial sentence in the UK of 12 months or more, with no discretion to take other factors into account.
Source: Detention Action, https://is.gd/BQYAQ1
