Ilengela Must Stay
Ilengela Must Stay Campaign | 24.08.2006 18:58 | Anti-racism | Migration | Birmingham
Ilengela Ileo is a 30 year old woman facing deportation to the DRC. She has lived in the UK for 3 years with her Mum and baby Sister who have leave to remain. She knows nobody in the DRC, her 4 brothers and 1 sister are missing presumed dead. We want the Home Office to allow her stay with her family on compassionate grounds. Please give us your support.
Ilengela Ileo
Ilengela Ileo came to the UK 3 years ago as an asylum seeker. Her Uncle had been murdered and her 5 Brothers and 1 Sister were missing presumed dead. She was searching for her Mum who has leave to remain in the UK but who she had lost contact with. Despite speaking no English and having to sleep rough she managed to track her Mum down and was reunited with her and her baby sister. She has lived with them ever since.
During this time she has learnt English and undertaken courses in English, Maths and Computers. For the last 2 years she has worked as a volunteer caseworker at Coventry Refugee Centre supporting other asylum seekers and refugees and assisting with interpreting for people who use her native languages, Lingala and French.
In April this year during a routine sign on appointment at an immigration reporting centre she was captured and put in Yarls Wood Detention Centre. She was told that her asylum claim had failed and she was going to be deported back to the DRC.
She was held in detention for almost 3 months before being granted bail. During this time she was taken to the airport 4 times in handcuffs. Her solicitor applied for a judicial review which was turned down but she has been granted an oral hearing to appeal against this decision which is due to take place in late October.
Ilengela is terrified of being sent back to the DRC. She is worried that she will be arrested at Kinshasa airport under suspicion of betraying her government. If she is put in prison she fears she will be beaten and raped and with nobody there to care for her she may be killed.
We are trying to gain as much support as possible in the form of a petition and letters sent to the immigration minister Liam Byrne asking for Ilengela to have the right to stay in the UK on compassionate grounds. We are trying to get as much publicity as possible for the campaign so that we can raise awareness and increase the support for Ilengela.
Petition sheets and model letters can be downloaded from the NCADC website
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/newszine71/ilengela.html .
For more information please contact
Ilengela Must Stay Campaign
C/O Coventry Refugee Centre
15 Bishop Street
Coventry
CV1 1HU
Fax: 02476 559674
ilengelamuststay@hotmail.co.uk
During this time she has learnt English and undertaken courses in English, Maths and Computers. For the last 2 years she has worked as a volunteer caseworker at Coventry Refugee Centre supporting other asylum seekers and refugees and assisting with interpreting for people who use her native languages, Lingala and French.
In April this year during a routine sign on appointment at an immigration reporting centre she was captured and put in Yarls Wood Detention Centre. She was told that her asylum claim had failed and she was going to be deported back to the DRC.
She was held in detention for almost 3 months before being granted bail. During this time she was taken to the airport 4 times in handcuffs. Her solicitor applied for a judicial review which was turned down but she has been granted an oral hearing to appeal against this decision which is due to take place in late October.
Ilengela is terrified of being sent back to the DRC. She is worried that she will be arrested at Kinshasa airport under suspicion of betraying her government. If she is put in prison she fears she will be beaten and raped and with nobody there to care for her she may be killed.
We are trying to gain as much support as possible in the form of a petition and letters sent to the immigration minister Liam Byrne asking for Ilengela to have the right to stay in the UK on compassionate grounds. We are trying to get as much publicity as possible for the campaign so that we can raise awareness and increase the support for Ilengela.
Petition sheets and model letters can be downloaded from the NCADC website
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/newszine71/ilengela.html . For more information please contact
Ilengela Must Stay Campaign
C/O Coventry Refugee Centre
15 Bishop Street
Coventry
CV1 1HU
Fax: 02476 559674
ilengelamuststay@hotmail.co.uk
Ilengela Must Stay Campaign
e-mail:
ilengelamuststay@hotmail.co.uk
Homepage:
http://ilengelamuststay.mysite.orange.co.uk/