They are risking peoples' lives.
Around this time last year, 29 people were deported from the UK to Jamaica. At the time, many of them said they feared for their lives in a country with a sky-high murder rate where most knew no-one.
They were right to be fearful. According to the Guardian, at least five people deported to Jamaica have since been murdered – Owen Clarke, Dewayne Robinson, Alphonso Harriet, Paul Mitchell and Hugh Bennett.
That’s just the murders the Guardian was able to find out about. There are no figures on what happens to those who are deported as the government does not bother to keep track.
Yet, despite this spate of deaths, the Home Office has just deported another 17 people – and may deport 25 more shortly.
In response to the Guardian’s revelations, the Home Office claims that “individuals are only returned to their country of origin when the Home Office and courts deem it is safe to do so”.
How can they still “deem it safe”? Either, they haven’t done any research or have ignored any research they’ve done. I don’t know which one is worst.
The Home Office’s other line is that these people are serious criminals. Some of them are serious criminals, while some are minor criminals, but this is beside the point. They’ve served their time and they’re British criminals as most have spent the majority of their lives here.
Tajay Thompson for example arrived in the UK when he was just five years old. When he was 17, he was caught possesing class A drugs with intent to supply and served seven months in prison for it. Unlike the other Brits he did his time with, he now faces deportation to a dangerous country he doesn’t know.
In many cases, those being deported are not just British criminals but British fathers. Between them, the deportees have 41 children. So, if the Home Office gets its way, that’s 41 children growing up without their fathers too.
If you’ve lived most of your life in Britain, you should be treated as British – no matter the mistakes you’ve made. By deporting people, despite knowing their lives will be at risk, the Home Office could well have more blood on its hands.
Read more: Windrush Jamaica deportation flight called ‘racist, unjust and inhumane’
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One Response to “Five men deported to Jamaica have since been murdered – but the Home Office “deems it safe” to repeat this?”
Priti Patel is not committed to the rule of law, says Home Office source | Left Foot Forward
[…] Another official accused her of being rude, angry and aggressive, particularly at the department’s failure to deport 25 men, who have spent most of their lives in Britain, to Jamaica. […]