As pressure mounts on the British Government to halt the deportation of scores of Jamaicans, a team which looked into the Windrush scandal, including a former senior immigration judge, has warned against the resumption of mass deportation flights to Jamaica until after its report is published.
Up to 50 people are due to be deported on Tuesday in what will be the second immigration removal charter flight to Jamaica since the Windrush scandal in 2018.
The BBC on Thursday night reported that it had seen a leaked copy of the Windrush review and it recommended that the government consider ending the deportation of foreign-born offenders who came to the UK as children.
Earlier, British officials continued to insist that all those set for removal are criminals, and that no Windrush victims are involved.
The Guardian newspaper has been informed that other recommendations in the review may include a broadening of who counts as a Windrush victim.
Asked about that possibility, James Hanratty, a former president of the Council of Immigration Judges, who sat on the review’s advisory panel, drew a distinction between people being deported for criminal offences and people who had suffered due to the Windrush scandal.
Hundreds of persons descended on Downing Street in London Thursday evening to protest the deportation of the 50 Jamaicans.
The area was shut down by activists who say the move marks the return of the government’s hostile environment policy, which led to thousands of Commonwealth citizens being wrongly classified as illegal immigrants in the Windrush scandal.
Building cases
Meanwhile, the Guardian newspaper has been informed that many of those due to be removed from the UK next week are trying to build cases to prevent their deportation.
However, they have been hampered by a lack of network coverage for their Home Office-issued mobile phones in the area around Heathrow where many are being detained.
It is understood that the Home Office admitted there were ongoing problems with the phone network affecting up to 678 detainees, and pledged to provide 1,000 new sim cards by Sunday.
Detainees with tickets for the Jamaican charter flight have reportedly been prioritised for new sim cards.
Initially, the Home Office told the Guardian that the problem had been resolved last month.
Is Mitchie boo on that flight? Askin for someone
Yes sender if her flight isn’t stopped by an injunction from an immigration judge at the upper tribunal in central London. So unfortunate for her however she had many chances to get her life together
Where were all the black people today while the demonstration against the deportation of jamaican nationals was happening?
It’s embarrassing to know that if it were a dancehall party scheduled, they would have turned out in their thousands. Put your priorities right.
Sender sorry I’m not going out there to protest for criminals who love to hype, wear designer clothes and burden to the system and out right stupid. Next question
More than half of them are violent criminals. We already have enough problems here we really cant manage anymore…
If mass demonstrating had went on regarding windrush scandal, the government would have thought twice before deporting these nationals, some of whom were here since they were babies.
Does anyone know what has happened to 1 star boy from south London
What is not understood is that, persons can be arrested for not having a TV licence, it’s a criminal offence not to have one. Are you saying that someone should be deported for something like this? Each case should be based on its merits. A person should also have access to the courts which many are being denied.
The bigger picture in regards this mass deportation is., when UK intended to come out of the EU, they knew they had to make trade agreements with other countries, India and China were among the countries were they were interested in. Both China and India stated that: were they to have trade deals with UK, the UK would have to allow their citizens to go to the UK to ; study ; do research ; work etc. Now, both these countries have a population of over a billion people each. Their culture is, to look after their parents and grand-parents. These people will have to be able to go and live in UK as well. Therefore it would have seems as if the government is making spaces for these persons.
The requirement for getting jobs post brexit in the United Kingdom is limited to mostly people coming from those two countries. The criteria to be eligible for posts is so high that only few outside these countries will be able to be admitted.
It is made worst that the Home Secretary is herself of indian decent. Someone who doesn’t seems to know the defination of sympathy.
Therefore, these deportations is not because persons are committing crimes in the UK, the bigger picture is, the UK government is looking to make space to accommodate mainly these Chinese and Indians nationals.
Don’t worry, when the white british people get wind of this , after seeing the influx of these nationals , it will be another story because, remember they want Britain to be what it was before, which is WHITE.
You cannot got to prison or get arrested, for not owning or paying for a tv licence. as owning one is a act not a law there is a difference my friend. Long and short of it,we don’t come Fr white man land. we must make what we can, while setting a foundation back home. if the windrush generation had done so many of us wouldn’t be here now.