Dear Supporter 

I am sharing with you the press release responding to last week's charter flight to Jamaica by the BAME Lawyers for Justice Group.

We are concerned that there are still a substantial number of people held in detention, including those tajen off the flight at the last minute and others, with 3 month  windows of removal to Jamaica.

We have received a report of at least one person removed on a commercial flight in recent days.

There have been reports by some of those detained of the presence of  rats in detention centres, gnawing through food packages, of one person with arthritis denied heating and suffering with the cold, of the young man who tried to cut his wrists told by a nurse that they should have put plasters on his wrists and deported him. 

Very worryingly people  held in detention, including those from Jamaica, Nigeria and Poland,  are paid £1 an hour and as little as 20p an hour to carry out work. They clean toilets, pick up litter, work in kitchens etc. 

This is slave labour and also denies workers the opportunity to do those jobs at a time when poverty is deepening and austerity impacts adversely  on access to jobs.

Shockingly according to the Home Office the work is  'offered' to meet 'recreational and intellectual needs and relieve from boredom.'

We oppose people being held in such inhumane conditions. Those booked on the charter flight to Jamaica are people who are complying with Home Office requirements, signing in regularly so there is no reason for them to be held in detention.

We have received worrying  but understandable reports in the circumstances from families of those who were deported on last week's charter flight about their loved ones feeling depressed, isolated, afraid and ill. 

We have just submitted a set of  FOIs, Freedom of Information requests to the Home Office regarding a range of concerns about deportations, detention and Windrush related issues  and do hope that the Home Office will comply as they are required to, unlike last year when the Home Office were guilty of multiple breaches by not responding in the required time to our questions, taking several months and leading to escalating complaints to the Information Commissioners.

Please write to your MP and raise concerns about these issues and ask them to call on the government to stop all deportations to Jamaica & Commonwealth countries.

Regards

Zita

On behalf of BAME Lawyers for Justice