Home Office, Immigration and Deportation

Since talks about Brexit began, immigration became a hot topic. We are constantly asking who is allowed to stay and who has to go. Is it right to send people back? But where are we sending these people if their whole life they have been living here? Where if there’s nowhere left for them in ‘their country’ if not poverty and war?

More and more often we read articles about the ways the Home Office is dealing with these ‘second class citizens’. The Home Office is drastically changing people’s lives.

Those people who are fuelled with nationalistic ideas, those who voted leave, those who see the others as criminals are taking over, voicing their concerns and racism. Truth is they only want us here when we provide cheap workforce, or when we help them fight their wars. But the second we are not instrumental anymore, we are rejected and told to go back to a country that we don’t recognise as our home.

Albert Thompson, 63, is originally from Jamaica but lived in the UK for 44 years. His case has been on the news as he was denied cancer treatment unless he pays £54,000 for it. The decision by the Royal Marsden hospital to deem his case as non-urgent was supported by Theresa May, although prostate cancer specialists disagree.

On which grounds is Thompson denied treatment? He was unable to provide that he lived in the UK continuously.

Many things in this case are questionable. Surely considering that he has been paying taxes for over 30 years; that should be enough to prove his status. But also what are the ethical issues on denying a man treatment to save his life?

Nancy Motsamai, 35, died of pulmonary embolism on 12 March after immigration officials accused her of faking her illness to avoid deportation. Her husband, Fusi Motsamai, and her have been living and working in the UK for over ten years. The issues started when they asked for a Visa renewal, instead they were told they would be deported to South Africa on 7 March.

Nancy Motsamai collapsed at Heathrow as she was taken to the plane. Was then accused of faking her illness and then threatened to be dragged in one way or the other on the plane.
Then the officials chose to put them in detention, where a nurse said that Motsamai was too ill to be kept there but, following instructions from a superior, Motsamai was held overnight. She died five days later.

Even after her death, her husband had to repeatedly ask for her passport from the Home Office to transport her body back.

These are only some of the most recent cases, but there may be even more that we don’t hear about. When will this climate of hatred and terror end? When will we recognise and appreciate the value of diversity but especially the values of individuals who contributed into the making of this country?