Advertisement
Activism

Campaigners fight to remove final passengers from Jamaica deportation flight

More than a dozen people are understood to have been removed from the flight, which is set to leave on Wednesday.

More than a dozen people are understood to have been removed from a deportation flight to Jamaica on Wednesday, with campaigners’ fight to remove remaining passengers set to go to the wire.

Of 24 detainees in touch with campaign group Movement for Justice, 15 have had their removals deferred after legal challenges, with nine still having active removal directions.

The last deportation flight to Jamaica, in November, left with just four passengers – despite around 50 people originally being detained.

Figures obtained by The Big Issue revealed that one in six of the Home Office’s deportation charter flights in 2021 left with fewer than 10 passengers.

Karen Doyle, an organiser with Movement for Justice, said she expected the number of people taken off Wednesday’s flight to increase in the hours before take-off.

“These mass deportation flights are fundamentally unjust, they devastate families & terrorise communities,” Doyle told The Big Issue.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertisement

“Movement for Justice will continue to organise with the detainees and their families to ensure as many as possible come off this flight and every charter flight.”

A number of activists held a protest outside Brook House immigration removal centre, in Gatwick, on Monday evening.

Organised by SOAS Detainee Support, the protesters called for an end to deportations.

The Home Office pursues a policy, under the UK Borders Act 2007, of deporting any non-British citizen who serves 12 months of more in prison.

A number of those detained for this week’s flight came to the UK as children, including one, who arrived as a seven-year-old and told The Big Issue last week: “I don’t even know what Jamaica looks like.”

The Big Issue understands he has since been removed from the flight.

After November’s flight, home secretary Priti Patel said it was “absolutely galling” that “last-minute legal claims” had stopped the deportations of 33 people.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Those with no right to be in the UK, including foreign national offenders, should be in no doubt that we will do whatever is necessary to remove them. This is what the public rightly expects and why we regularly operate flights to different countries.

“The New Plan for Immigration will fix the broken immigration system and stop the abuse we are seeing by expediting the removal of those who have no right to be here.”

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Never miss an issue

Take advantage of our special subscription offer. Subscribe from just £9.99 and never miss an issue.

Recommended for you

Read All
Widower of disabled woman in bitter, years-long legal battle after DWP denied him benefits
Department for Work and Pensions

Widower of disabled woman in bitter, years-long legal battle after DWP denied him benefits

Transphobia and homophobia are terrible for the economy, report finds
London Trans+ Pride
LGBTQ+ rights

Transphobia and homophobia are terrible for the economy, report finds

Migrant care worker left homeless after being 'exploited' UK employer: 'It's a national scandal'
Cardboard and a sleeping bag, on the church premises where Joseph is sleeping
Immigration

Migrant care worker left homeless after being 'exploited' UK employer: 'It's a national scandal'

Five things we learned from Pope Francis' candid and historic Big Issue interview
Pope Francis

Five things we learned from Pope Francis' candid and historic Big Issue interview

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue