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Well, that's my first letter to a Minister of State.

I hope it does some good - but that hope is feint.

The background:

We have some friends, Esther and her two young sons.
4.5 years ago they fled in fear from Nigeria following the political murder of Esther's parents. The family was split up during these events - Esther's husband ending up in Italy and she and the kids here in Coventry.
They've been seeking asylum.
They've integrated excellently into society here and Esther is training to be a nurse to contribute to society and support her family.
Despite their very real fear of returning to Nigeria their appeal for asylum has been rejected.

They were recently arrested - witnessed by a friend of mine.
NINE yes NINE policemen broke in to their accommodation in the early morning to arrest them. {remember this next time your bike is nicked or some other such event where they can't find a single copper to come round to sort things out}. The frightened kids were marched out in tears, one at a time each flanked by 2 kitted-up coppers. Esther was marched out last. They've been held in a detention centre for well over a week pending deportation on Thursday. All the kids want to do is get back home to Coventry - where they've spent the majority of their lives and have all their friends. Of course that's also what their mum wants - not to return to the place from which she fled following the murder of her parents and where their safety cannot be assured.

Well I've written to the Minister in the hope that he'll take some note my pleas and of the other letters of appeal from Esther's many friends.

..... But How Often Is This Happening ?

..... What has happened to that once just and caring Britain ?

...... What an ironic contrast ... Red Nose Day last Friday ... awareness raised and money collected for those with tragic and difficult circumstances both here and in Africa ..... and yet our Government is deporting a vulnerable woman and 2 young children back to a land where her parents were politically murdered and she fears for their safety.


Angry - yes, certainly

Concerned - most definitely

Saddened - yes greatly - both for our friends and for the heartless nation Britain seems to be becoming ............

This does sound upsetting D R.

Speaking purely in a devil's advocate kind of way.....

Surely almost every case for asylum is shocking/moving/convincing if you get individually involved. Thank god we don't have to. But can we really just open the doors to every one?

Me - I just don't know. I do wonder sometimes how it would be if ALL borders were opened up and people just went to live wherever they fancied.

I guess the question is where do you draw the line for eligability. How would you like to decide that, say, your friend's case could be allowed but someone with a slightly less convincing case should not?

Fausto wrote:This does sound upsetting D R.

Speaking purely in a devil's advocate kind of way.....

Surely almost every case for asylum is shocking/moving/convincing if you get individually involved. Thank god we don't have to. But can we really just open the doors to every one?

Me - I just don't know. I do wonder sometimes how it would be if ALL borders were opened up and people just went to live wherever they fancied.

I guess the question is where do you draw the line for eligability. How would you like to decide that, say, your friend's case could be allowed but someone with a slightly less convincing case should not?

I completely understand what you are saying Fausto - I certainly don't think that my friends deserve any special treatment over other similar cases. I do know a few asylum seekers from a number of countries and most have come from pretty horrific circumstances. However, I thought that was the point of asylum - something that should be granted to those that have fled real danger. I really don't think that we are in danger of being over-run by genuine cases.

In terms of where you draw the line, I agree it is a very difficult judgement. Morally, I can find no justification for restricting the rights of any human being to live in any country - basing my right to live here on the fact I happened to be born here seems particularly specious - as does the fact that I don't have a right to live in regions where I didn't happen to be born.
But I concede that is not a particularly practical approach and ignores a number of realities - which bring us back to an arbitrary dividing line.

My problem with this is that it seems to me that the line has been shifted in recent years and the interpretations have been made much harsher. The tabloid press' scaremongering has a lot to answer for. This has affected government policy - coupled with the fact that they seem intent on fulfilling targets for numbers of asylum claims they reject. This falls very harshly and unjustly on those who become victims of the system.

BTW, thanks for debating the issue.

What seems so odd is that the people who are integrating into society here - working, contributing to the economy - seem to get kicked out when there are others whose claims have been rejected who still stay here for years and years - maybe in detention centres, but why don't they get sent back? Why doesn't it work the same for everyone?

We don't understand how the system works, or why it works the way it does, and most of the time it doesn't seem to make any sense. And it always seems worse if we know the people personally of course.

Like Fausto, I just don't know what the answer is - but it certainly seems unneccary for the police to be so heavy handed quite apart from anything else.

SNAFU.

Should have went to Italy ......the food is bloody great ,the weather is sunny and warm..........and she came to Coventry!!!!

Not the cleverest move now ,was it?


Who was funding her training if she was seeking asylum she would not be allowed to work or earn money?

BikerGran wrote:What seems so odd is that the people who are integrating into society here - working, contributing to the economy - seem to get kicked out when there are others whose claims have been rejected who still stay here for years and years - maybe in detention centres, but why don't they get sent back? Why doesn't it work the same for everyone?

We don't understand how the system works, or why it works the way it does, and most of the time it doesn't seem to make any sense. And it always seems worse if we know the people personally of course.

Like Fausto, I just don't know what the answer is - but it certainly seems unneccary for the police to be so heavy handed quite apart from anything else.

Situation normal Bobbi. Plod go in mob handed for H&S reasons, and the only ones they catch are the law abiding. If the lady in question was inciting the murder of white people / soldiers etc, then she would no doubt be allowed to stay like others who are already permanent.