World Migration Newswire Archive

Patrick Masengo, has left the UK
The last message from Patrick was on Saturday at 5:50 am to say that he was handcuffed and had 12 security officers controlling him. Attempts to contact Patrick since then have failed. Many thanks to all who tried to prevent the removal.
Keep Patrick Masengo in the UK, no removals to DR Congo
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Media-2/PatrickMasengo.html

After last year, 2010 brought another fiery summer in Italy’s detention centres for migrants (C.I.E.), where people are detained waiting to be deported. At the beginning of the summer the length of time of detention increased to 6 months, thanks to new “Security Package” approved by the government. Also, the Italian government has made a special agreements with Algeria and Tunisia to speed up the deportations of migrants coming from those countries. In many CIE’s Tunisians especially have been on the front line of revolts. Here follows a brief and incomplete chronicle of the past few months:

Took place Saturday 4th September outside the French Embassy in London

The Irish Traveller Movement in Britain (ITMB) and various UK refugee/migrant support groups demonstrated in solidarity with the Roma communities who are being forcefully evicted and deported in France. ITMB deplores President Sarkozy's policies which have resulted in families with children as young as 2 weeks old being evicted with less than 30 minutes notice.

Irish Travellers Group (who organized the demo) and English Gypsies are acutely aware of the racist anti Roma policies that are spreading across Europe. In recent days Roma communities in Italy have been made homeless when bulldozers razed the camps they lived on to the ground. In Hungry the far right Jobbick party have called for Roma communities to be detained in special guarded camps for indefinite periods of time.

ITMB would like to remind the British Government and public that the largest eviction of a Gypsy Roma Traveller community in Europe is presently taking place in Dale Farm, Essex. Like the Roma in Europe, Irish Travellers and English Gypsies in Britain face direct racism and discrimination on a daily basis.

GRT - Gypsy, Roma and Irish Travellers are the largest Minority group in Europe.

Gypsy's gained Ethnic Minority status in 1989 and Irish Travellers in 2000 and are since protected under the 'Race Relations Act 1976'. 9 out of 10 children from the GRT community have experienced racial abuse and nearly a third have been bullied or physically attacked.

For further information please call Irish Traveller Movement in Britain on 020 7607 2002 or email  info@irishtraveller.org.uk

Overall there were only 4 incidents of serious self-harm, more than the previous quarter and only an increase of 1, on persons on formal self-harm at risk.

However there are very alarming increases at some of the individual Removal Centres.

Dover IRC showed a 125% increase on incidents of Self-Harm requiring medical treatment

Harmondsworth 54% , Oakington 46.5 %, Yarl's Wood  31% increase on previous quarter of persons on formal self-harm at risk.

There was one death, cause as yet unknown: Eliud Nguli Nyenze born 1970 - died Oakington IRC 15th April 2010
 http://tinyurl.com/23gmgrx

[Self-Harm in Immigration detention - January/February/March 2010
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Resources/self-harm2010.html

Data for 2009 can be accessed here:
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Resources/self-harm2009.html

[DR Congo is a failed state, the 5th most dangerous country in the world to live in. DR Congo cannot protect its' citizens from itself, it's police/army or other agents. Cannot provide for its' citizens, adequate food/shelter/healthcare, rape of women and children is epidemic.]

Mother and Children required to deport themselves

Mildred Okpara and her two young children and baby are still in their Sheffield accommodation. They have received a letter from UKBA to report to Heathrow airport on Thursday the 2nd September.

Kirklees Refugee Forum are supporting a campaign to keep the family in Sheffield and would like your presence (if possible) in Sheffield this Friday.

Join the protest outside the Home Office UK Border Agency

Keep the Okpara family safe in Sheffield!

Come and join us on the demonstration and bring as many people as possible. Please bring placards and banners

UK Border Agency
Vulcan House
Riverside entrance
6 Millsands
Sheffield
S3 8NU

Friday 27th August     12:30 to 1:30

For more information or if you want to help with the campaign contact:
Stop the Deportation of the Okpara
Family c/o Sheena 07792605138
or email     memesheena@blueyonder.co.uk

Kirklees Refugee Forum
 http://www.kirkleesrefugeeforum.org.uk/

Stop the deportation of Raba Hamad to Iraq. It is likely he wil be killed if he is deported to Iraq. He is 16 years old, has no money and will not be able to cope or survive if deported. We have pasted the information from a facebook page made in support of Raba Hamad. See below for details.

Frontex Charter Flights first 6 months 2010

Frontex coordinate charter flights from all countries in the European Union

Total number of persons removed January to June this year: 1,261 on 27 flights

Total provisional costs: of all 27 flights *£6,398,000 

- £5,073 per person / £236,962 average cost per flight

10 flights to Nigeria
6 flights to Kosovo
5 flights to Georgia
2 flights to Iraq
Other destinations: Gambia, Cameroon, Albania, Armenia, Columbia, Ecuador, Burundi.

There were 27 flights in the first 6 months of 2010. Compared to 32 flights in the whole of 2009, removing 1,622 persons, main destination was Nigeria 17 flights involving 849 persons approximate

*(Please not these figures are only provisional, final costs will be known only after last reimbursement claim from the participating countries is processed)

Download breakdown of flights: Joint Returns 2010.doc



Download breakdown of costs: Joint Returns 2010_costs.doc



Joint Return Flights coordinated by Frontex January /December 2009
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Resources/Frontex4.html


Frontex in a nutshell
Border management within the European Union has undergone an evolution starting from nationally focused systems to operational cooperation at the external borders. National border security systems are nowadays being complemented by a unified set of effective tools to man-age potential risks at the external borders. Frontex - the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union - was created particularly to integrate national border security systems of Member States against all kind of threats that could happen on or through the external borders of the EU.
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Resources/Frontex3.html

It is believed that between 150 and 200 corpses have been buried in the mass grave.

This summer's scorcher...

Families with all legal rights exhausted to be given two weeks to leave the UK voluntarily

If they don't

Children/parents will be forcibly removed from their homes and taken directly to the airport to board the plane.

UKBA will likely ask for a heavy police presence should the family try and build up any form of community protest on the day of removal. UKBA concerned that if they fail to remove family on the day,  significant public order problems may occur at any future attempts.

In the event of parents of family resisting on the day, family could be separated, children possibly taken into care, whilst police/immigration officials deal with parents.

Any last minute legal challenges processed through the legal system expediently.

The document at many points, stresses the strength of community resistance, from people in the street, teachers, NGOs, MPs, voluntary groups, faith groups, charitable organisations and the media

( The briefing paper reprinted below has been leaked to the media)

Plenty of activists are currently on the ground in Calais, which has enabled us to effectively intervene in a number of raids. We have also been distributing supplies such as tents and sleeping bags, doing water runs, and cooking large vegan meals with the migrants as one of the charities is on holiday. Here is an update of yesterday's events.

Harmondsworth IRC, managed by GEO Group UK, is now back to full capacity after being partially made uninhabitable by frustrated detainees in November 2006.

(Formally known as 'Wackenhut Corrections Corporation'. GEO Group has been accused of gross civil rights violations relating to adequate access to food and medical care, especially at its USA Northwest Detention Center, including unlawful interrogations and coercing inmates to sign paperwork they would otherwise not be inclined to. Source 'Wikipedia'. GEO's worldwide operations include the management/ownership of 63 prisons/Immigration Removal Centres and residential treatment facilities with a capacity of 61,500 beds)

As of today there are a total of 3,436 bed spaces, in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) and Short Term Holding Facilities (STHFs).

A sizable number of prison bed spaces are occupied by persons off the end of criminal sentences (have reached their release date) and continue to be detained as immigration offenders, awaiting deportation or transfer to a detention centre. UKBA no longer release the numbers of those held in prison as immigration offenders.

Eight IRCs and 4 STHFs are owned/managed or managed by private corporations, three IRCs managed by the Prison Service.

Campsfield House IRC GEO Group Bed spaces: 216 male detainees

Harmondsworth IRC GEO Group Bed spaces 615 male detainees

Yarl's Wood IRC Serco Bed spaces 405 Female detainees

Colnbrook IRC Serco Bed spaces 383 male detainees ( STHC 40 beds male/female)

Brook House IRC G4S Bed spaces 426 male detainees

Oakington IRC G4S Bed spaces 408 male detainees

Dungavel House G4S Bed spaces 190 Mixed, male, female

Tinsley House G4S Bed spaces 146 Male Detainees

Dover IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 316 male detainees

Haslar IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 160 male detainees

Lindholme IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 112 male detainees

Manchester STHF G4S Bed spaces 32

Queens Buildings (Heathrow) STHF G4S Bed spaces 15

Harwich STHF Abbey Security Ltd Bed spaces 12

Dover Harbour STHF Dover Harbour Board Bed spaces 20

Addresses/phone/fax/visiting times for all the above can be found here:
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Resources/addresses.html

(Editors note, data has been taken from UKBA/Private management web sites)

You can now ask UKBA for your case to be reviewed in light of the judgement of the Supreme Court in HJ (Iran) & HJ (Cameroon).

[ HJ (Iran) & HJ (Cameroon) may also be beneficial to religious minorities who have been refused asylum on the grounds that they could relocate. You will need to check with a reliable solicitor/case worker. ]


Asylum Seekers [ HJ (Iran) & HJ (Cameroon) ]

House of Lords / 21 July 2010 : Column WA216
 http://tinyurl.com/Column-WA215

Lord Avebury to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue an asylum policy instruction following the judgment of the Supreme Court in HJ (Iran) (FC) v Secretary of State for the Home Department and HJ (Cameroon) (FC) v Secretary of State for the Home Department; and whether they will review decisions by the UK Border Agency which may be incompatible with that judgment.[HL1207]

Baroness Neville-Jones: Asylum decision-makers were instructed to apply the new test contained in the judgment immediately after the judgment was published. They have also been asked to review, in the light of the new test, cases in which a decision has already been made but in which appeal rights have not yet been exhausted.

There will not be an automatic review of cases where appeal rights have been exhausted but individuals are able to ask for their case to be reviewed in light of the new judgment.

An asylum policy instruction will be published within the next few months. This will reflect the judgment and we will develop better training to promote understanding of sexual orientation and identity issues in order to help decision-makers to decide on the basis of the best available information and knowledge.


Summery of the Judgement can be accessed below:
 http://www.freemovement.org.uk/Media-2/HJIranandHTCameroon.html

I seen this walking up victoria road on the glasgow southside, whoever done this didnt know how to spell well, anyways, its got the point across about the refugees florence and precious who the uk borders agency want to deport.

Important Information for Refugees granted leave to remain for 5 years in 2005

From 30 August 2010, those granted refugee leave or humanitarian protection in 2005 for 5 years will start to come to the end of their 5 years leave.

They will need as a matter of urgency to renew their application for indefinite leave to remain.

Someone who does not do so before his/her 5 years leave expires may suffer several problems - including losing any entitlement to work or receive benefits, or that any application for indefinite leave to remain is dealt with more restrictively, could also lead to their status being revoked and removal from the UK.

The UK Border Agency has published information about making applications for indefinite leave to remain for these people. See:
Refugees and those with humanitarian protection - route to settlement
 http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/outcomes/successfulapplications/leavetoremain/

Plus
For information on how to apply for indefinite leave to remain before your leave expires, you should go to:
Completing application form SET (Protection Route)
 http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/settlement/applicationtypes/completing_set_protection_route/

Protestors gathered outside the UK Border Agency office in Sheffield on 20th July 2010 to protest against the threatened deportation of Lem Lem Hussein Abdu to Ethiopia, which could happen on the 21th July on flight BD913 (BMI airlines) from Heathrow to Addis Ababa at 13.50 hours unless her MP, Meg Munn or the Home Secretary intervene.

The author will read “Human Rights” and other poems, accompanied by gypsy guitar, during the 2010 Rototom Sunsplash festival (  http://www.rototomsunsplash.com/ ), an evening dedicated to the antiracist event “Vivere nella diversità” (Living Diversity).

Another “success” in the “war on illegal migrants”: Against all international Conventions the Italian government keeps refusing refugees from Eritrea and deporting them back to Libya, whose detention centres are notoriously famous for the constant violations of human rights.

The 25th of june 2010, 60 activists was bloking the new detention center in construction in Steenokkerzeel near Brussels, Belgium.