"He eventually crossed the Mediterranean and reached Europe. From France he travelled to the UK in a small boat. This place is Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick airport. It is one of two centres, along with Harmondsworth, near Heathrow, where an estimated 92 people who recently arrived on small boats have been detained in preparation for removal to France."
"The scheme, known as one in, one out, swaps uninvited small boat arrivals in the UK, who will be forcibly removed to France, for asylum seekers in northern France who have been given permission by the UK government to travel here legally to have their asylum claims considered. Fessahaye and the other detainees spend their days being locked into and unlocked from their cells and frantically searching for a lawyer who can stop them being put on a plane to France."
"Anger about small boat arrivals 31,027 so far this year, up from 22,440 over the same period last year was one of the drivers of Saturday's unite the kingdom rally organised by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson (whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon). So far there is no evidence that one in, one out has deterred crossings from northern France, despite the UK government proclaiming that dozens of small boat arrivals have been locked up."
Fessahaye fled indefinite military conscription in Eritrea, walked through the Sahara, endured torture and enslavement in Libya, and crossed the Mediterranean to Europe. From France he travelled to the UK in a small boat and was detained at Brook House near Gatwick. Brook House and Harmondsworth hold about 92 arrivals detained for removal to France under a 'one in, one out' exchange. The exchange swaps uninvited small-boat arrivals for asylum seekers in northern France allowed to travel legally to the UK. Detainees report prolonged cell confinement and frantic searches for lawyers, while crossings remain high at 31,027 this year versus 22,440 last year.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]