was treated like a terrorist when she was deported and forced from her family.
Source: The Guardian
Last Sunday I was forced on to a flight to Singapore by four border officers without warning. They gave me just minutes to say goodbye to the family and life I have built over decades.My husband, John, who I help care for, is a British citizen. I have British children and a grandchild. If I can be taken away from my home in a County Durham village to a detention centre in Scotland overnight, and then spirited out of the country on a Sunday when there was no access to legal advice, what chance does anyone else have?
The authorities have shown their willingness to treat foreign-born people as second-class citizens, no matter how integrated we are – and, worse, treat us like criminals. I was not allowed a camera phone in the detention centre, presumably in case I photographed conditions there.
During my removal from Britain I was treated like a terrorist: I was restrained by the arms, my every word written down, and there were guards on the door when I went to the toilet. This happened in full view of the public in Edinburgh airport,and was deeply humiliating. The border authorities even claimed that I – a woman on my own – posed a risk of violence. And they ticked a form to note the media interest and public sympathy in my case, as if I was to be punished for speaking out.
When I arrived in Singapore I was given a number for people who were supposed to be able to help, but they were in Thailand. I was told I would be met at the airport by someone who would assist with accommodation and settlement – this never happened. During all this time, my family back home were being put through confusion and distress that they never deserved.
Everything that took place last weekend was the latest step in a long story of an immigration system that provides no adequate support to claimants, and does its best to treat honest people like liars and thieves. For some time now, I have filled out long and complex application forms repeatedly, only to be told that I have been given the wrong form or that the application is invalid for some technical reason.
I have received more support than many in my position. Lawyers, members of parliament and others have intervened on my behalf, albeit unsuccessfully so far. But my case is not peculiar. Families in Britain are routinely broken up. One immigration solicitor says he comes across similar cases roughly twice a week.
Staff at Migrant Voice, who raise the profile of migrants in the press and have helped publicise my story, find themselves overwhelmed with stories of honest people trying to make a life who have been met with injustice and treated with contempt.
During my removal from Britain I was treated like a terrorist: I was restrained by the arms, my every word written down, and there were guards on the door when I went to the toilet. This happened in full view of the public in Edinburgh airport,and was deeply humiliating. The border authorities even claimed that I – a woman on my own – posed a risk of violence. And they ticked a form to note the media interest and public sympathy in my case, as if I was to be punished for speaking out.
When I arrived in Singapore I was given a number for people who were supposed to be able to help, but they were in Thailand. I was told I would be met at the airport by someone who would assist with accommodation and settlement – this never happened. During all this time, my family back home were being put through confusion and distress that they never deserved.
Everything that took place last weekend was the latest step in a long story of an immigration system that provides no adequate support to claimants, and does its best to treat honest people like liars and thieves. For some time now, I have filled out long and complex application forms repeatedly, only to be told that I have been given the wrong form or that the application is invalid for some technical reason.
I have received more support than many in my position. Lawyers, members of parliament and others have intervened on my behalf, albeit unsuccessfully so far. But my case is not peculiar. Families in Britain are routinely broken up. One immigration solicitor says he comes across similar cases roughly twice a week.
Staff at Migrant Voice, who raise the profile of migrants in the press and have helped publicise my story, find themselves overwhelmed with stories of honest people trying to make a life who have been met with injustice and treated with contempt.
The Home Office’s legal position seems to be that it is in the public interest to override my right to a family life. Yet from the British public I have received nothing but sympathy and kindness. Messages of support have flooded in from people I have never met. The appeal set up on my behalf has now raised over £50,000, more than double its initial target. This is invaluable – I was forced out with just £12 in my pocket. And I am lucky to have access to a secure roof over my head, thanks to my sister, who has three children and is currently sleeping on the sofa. I would certainly not have been able to afford the costs of legal advice otherwise.
However, thanks to the compassion and generosity of my own community in the north-east and people across Britain, I still stand a fighting chance of coming home. I am hoping to lodge an appeal against my deportation, which I believe has been conducted secretly, inappropriately and with little due process.
Above all, I would appeal to all those who have made “migrant” a term of abuse to think about the human cost of their actions. Wanting to build a life and a family, and to be around people and places that you love, is not a crime.