Jamaicans who were granted last-minute reprieve from a deportation flight in the Britain two weeks ago are reportedly still in detention and unable to reunite with their families, in what lawyers have said could be an unlawful move by the Home Office.
Britain's Independent newspaper has spoken with a number of men whose deportation on February 11 was cancelled but who remain in immigration detention despite their removal being ruled unlawful by the courts.
The UK Court of Appeal ruled the day before the charter flight that the Home Office must not deport 25 of the Jamaicans on the grounds that they had been denied access to working sim cards at Heathrow detention facilities.
This followed a mobile phone signal outage that prevented them from consulting lawyers, in breach of government policy.
One of the men, 30 year old Reshawn Davis, who has been in the UK since the age of 11, told The Independent that he was still in detention and had not been informed by the Home Office what was happening with his case.
The Jamaican said he expected to be able to go home after he was not placed on the charter flight.
Mr. Davis, who was facing deportation on the basis that he was convicted for robbery 10 years ago, said the most difficult thing about remaining in detention is being apart from his wife and daughter.
Another detainee, 27 year old Echard Bepart-Woollett, who came to Britain when he was eight and has two British children, said he too remained in a removal centre despite being granted last-minute reprieve from being deported on February 11.
The Jamaican, whose solicitors have accused the Home Office of unlawfully holding him in detention, said he suspects that the detainees will be held until there is another deportation flight.
A number of people whose removal was cancelled have since been granted bail following intervention from solicitors.
One of them was released on Wednesday despite having been admitted to hospital three times during his time in detention.
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