Many deportees saved, some still threatened
Of the 113 people we are working with, ten still have documents saying they will be sent to Rwanda next Tuesday, 14 June. Thankfully a further 15 people who had these documents have had them cancelled thanks to the efforts of the amazing law firms we are working with. They will continue working on the other ten. Frighteningly it appears there are another seven people with removal documents whom we don’t know. Our great fear is that some of these people may not have lawyers to represent them. We were of course disappointed that our injunction application was denied by …
Most Rwandas deportees are NOT “single”
Tomorrow morning we will be in the High Court to stop the Government carrying out its barbaric Rwanda scheme. The Government says it’s sending only single men to Rwanda. This isn’t not true. We’re working with 100 people in detention with Rwanda notices, all men. Fifty five are married. And 17 have small children. So the majority aren’t single at all. They’re just separated from their families. Adam is typical. He had to leave his home, wife and children in Sudan when he fled because of the political situation. He just “wanted to arrive in the safest place”, but was …
How we’re challenging the Rwanda scheme
We have spoken to over 100 people in detention who’ve been told they will be forcibly sent to Rwanda. Almost all are overwhelmed by total shock and despair. Many came to the UK believing it to be a good place that would treat them more fairly than the places from which they escaped. We say that the Rwanda plan is unlawful. We hope the courts will agree with us. Together with the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Detention Action, and four asylum seekers facing removal by plane to Rwanda on Tuesday 14 June, we have now issued judicial …
Ali’s story
“When they attacked me in my house, I knew we had to leave Afghanistan. I did not work for the army, I was just a mechanic but now I’m also a target. We cannot got home, but we cannot go forward either. “I don’t know what to do, and day by day things get worse. We don’t go outside anymore, just stay in this small room, with our neighbours trying to help us.” These are the words of Ali, an Afghan man currently trapped in Quetta, Pakistan. When I spoke to him last night, he sounded terrified. At a time …
Rwanda deportees are increasingly desperate
Rwanda update 6 June 2022 We are now working with 80 out of the 100 people that the Government have sent ‘Notices of Intent‘ saying that they will be sent to Rwanda. 17 have received notices to say their deportation is imminent, ten of which mention 14 June. They are all in detention centres and they are all very scared. Priti Patel says the Rwanda plan will offer migrants “an opportunity to build prosperous lives in safety”. However every single one of the people we have spoken to is shocked and traumatised at the thought of being forcibly sent. We’ve …
Fear grips Rwanda deportees
We are working with 70 out of the 100 people that the Government have sent ‘Notices of Intent‘ saying that they will be sent to Rwanda. 13 have had notices to say their deportation is imminent, and nine specifically mention 14 June. They are all in detention centres and they are all very scared. Be in no doubt that being deported is traumatic. We have had a five day hunger strike and we’ve had numerous late night conversations with people who feel suicidal. One said “They can send my dead body to Rwanda, but I would rather die than go …
Meet Sayed, violin virtuoso
Then post on site with these words sayed and the violin for tonight When I arrive in the UK it was during the pandemic, and I was sent to Napier Barracks. It was really not a nice place – there were 400 people there and half got Covid. We slept in rooms with 20 people in them, with only a few blankets between us. It was frightening to be there. The one good thing about Napier was that I was introduced to Care4 Calais, and especially a volunteer called Lily. They really helped us with all sorts of things. …
First Rwanda detainee released
Today we have some great news. The first of the people who were given Rwanda notices has been released from detention. We are so relieved for him and his family. But he should never have been put through this ordeal in the first place. The man – we’ll call him N – said he was so emotional on hearing the good news. He couldn’t believe it, he said, and even wanted to cry. When you hear this amazing man’s story you will understand that he is not one to shed tears easily. He asked me to pass on a …
Salih’s story
Salih Mansur Ali had a happy, comfortable life living with his family in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, but one day when he was just 17, his dad was shot dead by by an Islamist terrorist group. Salih saw him lying on the ground, covered in blood; he still has the horrific photo on his phone. It was a shocking moment, one that would lead to years of running and suffering. His dad had been chief of police in their city, and the family knew they were now at risk of further attacks. His mum moved with her four children …
Nadir: they’re sending me to Rwanda
As soon as I arrived in this detention centre, they handed me a letter. So I read it, and I was shocked by what I saw – well, beyond shocked, I don’t have a word for it, how I felt. Just numb, panicking and very scared. It said they wanted to send me back to Africa, to a country called Rwanda. I knew little about it, only that it is surrounded by war, and not safe for us. I had been through years of travelling, searching for somewhere to be safe, and I couldn’t believe this was happening. So …