Why are people being deported to Jamaica?

Beyond Today

BBC

News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2020

⏱️ 20 minutes

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Summary

It’s been two years since the Windrush scandal, where at least 164 black British citizens were wrongly deported to countries of their birth or detained in the UK. The scandal has had a lasting impact on the Afro-Caribbean community, with many owed compensation from the government. The Home Office recently approved a flight from London to Jamaica which was deporting convicted offenders who have been here for most of their lives. Once again, many black Brits say they feel targeted and are being forced to question what it really means to be British. We spoke to two BBC reporters: Shamaan Freeman-Powell, who’s been following the story from the beginning, and Greg McKenzie, who followed the flight to Jamaica and has spoken to Brits who say they’ve been forced to leave their home. Maria Thomas, a lawyer at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, explains why a last-minute legal challenge stopped some of the detainees from being deported. Presenter: Tina Daheley Producers: Seren Jones and Duncan Barber Mixed by Emma Crowe Editor: Philly Beaumont

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:06.0	Hello, I'm Tina Dehealy and this is Beyond Today from BBC Radio 4,
0:10.4	a space to ask one big question about one big story.
0:14.0	Today, why are people being deported to Jamaica?
0:24.0	There were 17 detainees and 167 officers, so they have full control of everything you do, anything at all, so you're on the flight the next detainee is like six rows
0:45.9	away from you. So on Tuesday the home office approved a deportation flight
0:52.4	from London to Jamaica, carrying convicted offenders who were born there but have lived here for most of their lives.
1:00.0	Around 50 people had been expected to leave the country, but the flight took off with just 17 deportees
1:06.2	after 25 people were stopped from leaving because of a last minute court ruling.
1:10.7	Every single person on the flight is a foreign national offender. They are not
1:15.1	British. They are not members of the Windrush generation. The then Chancellor
1:19.6	Sajid Javid made no apology for deporting
1:22.8	foreign national offenders.
1:24.8	And they are all guilty of serious crimes.
1:27.7	They're receiving custodial sentences
1:29.5	of at least 12 months or more guilty for crimes such as manslaughter, you know rape dealing
1:35.2	But Labour MP David Lamy said not everyone had committed such serious crimes
1:40.0	and many were punished for nonviolent offenses.
1:43.0	And people watching see the way that this government holds in such disrespect the contribution of West Indian, Caribbean and black people in this country.
1:56.0	When?
1:58.0	Will Black Lives Matter once again.
2:10.1	One of the reasons the decision has received a huge backlash is because the Windrush lessons learned review still hasn't been published.
	...

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