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Some Jamaicans thwart efforts by UK Government to deport them

 
More than 30 Jamaicans in the UK have thwarted a Home Office bid to deport them after filing last-minute legal challenges.
 
According to the Daily Mail newspaper, just 16 offenders from a group of  more than 50 listed for removal are expected to board a flight to Jamaica today.
 
More legal challenges were expected in the final hours before the plane takes off.
 
Lawyers for Sanjay McLean, one of  the Jamaicans scheduled for deportation, argued that he had the right to British citizenship under the Windrush rules. 
 
They secured a stay of  execution for him in an out-of-hours high court hearing., but even then the Home Office appealed in an attempt to get him on the plane.
 
Two of  the men due to be placed on the flight reportedly attempted suicide and were taken to hospital.
 
There have been at least two COVID-19 cases confirmed among Jamaicans due to board the flight.
 
Some of  the others were asked to isolate after close contact with those who tested positive.
 
The Guardian newspaper says the Jamaican High Commissioner is among a number of  senior government officials to have sent an urgent letter to the Home Office just hours before the Jamaicans were due to be collected from detention centres to be taken to the airport.
 
It's reported that the letter called for the flight to be halted because of  concerns about the Covid cases and spread of  the Delta variant of  the virus.
 
Four women who had appointments to say farewell to their partners scheduled to board the charter flight to Jamaica said they were denied the chance to say goodbye.  The women said they arrived at the detention centre only to be informed they were no longer permitted to see their partners.
 
A Home Office source said, due to an administrative error, visits were booked at a time that individuals were due to be collected for the flight.  The source apologized for the mistake.
 
Criticism
 
And Movement for Justice (MFJ) a British civil rights and immigration rights movement, has criticised the Home Office's handling of  today's charter flight to Jamaica.
 
MFJ National Organiser, Karen Doyle says a number of  the Jamaicans slated for deportation have been released from prison for more than five years and have not re-offended. 
 
She claimed that a number of  them were groomed into criminal activity in childhood. 
 
Some of  the Jamaicans reportedly grew up in state care and Miss Doyle says social services should have had the responsibility to make them British citizens.
 
                                                                                                                            
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                                                             
 
 
 
 
 


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