- This recent deportation flight carried more than double the usual number of people, reflecting a significant ramp-up in enforcement measures
The UK government has deported 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians on a single flight, in what the Home Office confirmed as the largest deportation of individuals to date.
The removals are part of a broader effort by the government to increase immigration returns, with 3,600 people deported since the Labour government took office in July.
This recent deportation flight carried more than double the usual number of people, reflecting a significant ramp-up in enforcement measures.
The increase in deportations coincides with reports that asylum seekers arriving in Diego Garcia, ahead of the UK’s handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, may be relocated to Saint Helena, one of Britain’s most remote territories in the Atlantic.
Among those deported was a Nigerian man who had attempted suicide while detained at Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick Airport. His cellmate, who witnessed the attempt, described being “very traumatised” by the incident.
Another deportee, an asylum seeker in the UK for 15 years without a criminal record, said: “The Home Office has denied my claim despite my clean record.”
Fizza Qureshi, CEO of the Migrants’ Rights Network, condemned the deportations, saying: “We are appalled by the cruelty of these actions, particularly the speed, secrecy, and denial of legal access. One detainee told us before boarding, ‘The Home Office is playing politics with people’s lives. We have done nothing wrong but seek help.'”
A Home Office spokesperson defended the actions, stating: “We have significantly increased immigration enforcement and returns to ensure compliance with the law. Over 3,600 removals have been carried out in the first two months of the new government.”