Asylum seekers facing detention &
deportation:
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| Chaired by Mohoro Mugabo of the All African Women's Group and Niki Adams of LAW the launch heard from women who had been in detention and threatened with imminent deportation and who had been released because they and their supporters followed the principles outlined in the guide. Sophie from Congo Brazzaville spent three weeks in Yarl’s Wood detention centre, unable to get help even from the charity which had given her counseling for almost three years. She described how Black Women’s Rape Action Project wrote, phoned and lobbied lawyers, MPs and the Home Office until she was released. | 
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Sumaiya from Uganda, was detained and threatened with deportation with her 10-month old baby even though her case was ongoing. She and a friend (also with a young child) were hauled out of their house at 7am, then spent all day with no food, drink or change of nappies, in a suffocatingly hot van taking them to Oakington detention centre. Another mother was detained twice, once when eight months pregnant and again with her baby, just months old who suffers from a hole in the heart. Both times she was taken to the airport and almost put on a plane. Both women were finally released as a result of the efforts of women’s organizations at Crossroads.
Ian Macdonald QC, leading expert in immigration law, describes the Guide as “ invaluable for those fighting in their own defence or that of their family and neighbours; essential reading for lawyers, advocates and other professionals who will benefit greatly from its practical information and advice”.
Other speakers described the many obstacles asylum seekers face: poor or even negligent legal representation, arbitrary and inhuman decisions by adjudicators and courts and an often witch-hunting media. Privatisation of asylum services where voluntary organisations accept government contracts, to take on the functions of the state (emergency housing etc.) has meant that they prioritise their funding over those they are meant to help.
Nina Lopez, LAW, said that the UK government’s inhuman treatment of African women and children in the UK exposed the reality of Blair’s claim to care about Africa.
A flood of orders is now coming in, from teachers, church and community groups, housing organisations, NHS staff, translators and more – many involved first hand in preventing deportations of people they know. Clearly as soon as people find out the reality of asylum seekers’ lives, many are angry and outraged at the brutal treatment they receive, and are determined to do everything they can to win the justice and protection we are all entitled to.