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Elizabeth Kiwunga and her British born children deported to Uganda (From The Northern Echo)
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Elizabeth Kiwunga and her British born children deported to Uganda
8:41am Friday 18th September 2009
PRAYERS were said last night for the safety of a failed asylum seeker and her two children.
Elizabeth Kiwunga, her four-year-old daughter and six-month-old son face an uncertain future after they were deported back to Uganda last night.
Ms Kiwunga fled the African country in 2002, where she said she was raped and tortured because of her former husband’s political associations with the opposition party.
There are fears that she could be arrested when she gets off the plane.
Last-ditch attempts to file vital legal and medical records which could have helped Ms Kiwunga’s case appear to have failed.
Darlington MP Alan Milburn faxed documents to Home Office Minister Phil Woolas.
Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Mr Milburn said: “We’ve been sending the documents to Mr Woolas’ office to support Elizabeth’s plea to stay in the country.”
The community in Darlington has rallied round Ms Kiwunga’s cause.
Last night, a candlelit vigil was held outside St Columba’s Church, in Clifton Avenue, at 8pm, as she was leaving the country.
Ms Kiwunga and children Hilary-Marie and John were taken from Darlington by immigration officials in the early hours of Sunday to Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre, in Bedfordshire.
Her children were put into a separate car as they were removed from the home of Reverend Sheilagh Williamson, where they were staying.
Neither of her children have been to Uganda and both were born in Britain.
North-East MEP Stephen Hughes has also petitioned Mr Woolas to review Ms Kiwunga’s case.
Last night, his wife, Cyndi, a borough councillor in Darlington, said: “We’ve made some last-minute representations to the Children’s Commissioner and we were hopeful we could get John’s father’s British passport number, but it now doesn’t look likely.”
Jeremy Oppenheim, the UK Border Agency’s North-East director, said: “We only seek to remove individuals or families where they have been found by ourselves and independent courts to have no right to remain here in the UK.
“Enforced removal is always a last option and the UK Border Agency always encourages those here illegally to return voluntarily.
“Our assisted voluntary return scheme, managed by the independent International Organisation for Migration (IOM), offers a tailored package in kind to help people both prepare for their return and also with their resettlement back in their home country.”
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Your Say YourNorth-East
chriswhite, Spennymoor says...
11:54am Fri 18 Sep 09
In any case this island is not full. Last time I checked, which was in 2006, the UK accepted around 7000 of 35,000 asylum applications every year. That amounts to 0.01% of the population. During the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Macedonia took in a number of refugees equivalent to 20% of its population.
J.Moffatt, chilton says...
1:01pm Fri 18 Sep 09
chriswhite, Spennymoor says...
1:13pm Fri 18 Sep 09
timeshift, South Shields says...
4:41pm Fri 18 Sep 09
The case has been messily handled by the authorities and compassion could have been shown - exceptional leave to remain was an option which could have been offered, but the Home Office is more bothered about its targets and percentages.
Most asylum cases are dealt with far quicker than this - it is an exception and should have been treated as such.
All the hostility I have read is directed at the mother - nobody seems to have any compassion for the children who have been treated so appallingly.
If an adult is in the country for ten years that would entitle them to citizenship - surely a child's entire life is equivalent? They were well integrated into the community, they were not living off benefits, the mother was an intelligent and educated woman who could have made an economic contribution to this society - there would not have been a problem with her acceptance.
Laird, darlington says...
5:06pm Fri 18 Sep 09
The line has to be drawn somewhere, it does not matter how "nice" someone is, it is up to the authorities to decide who stays and who goes.
We have our own problems in this country, like a £175000000000 deficit.
d4x, darlington says...
12:30am Sat 19 Sep 09
paulah, darlington says...
11:25am Sat 19 Sep 09
chriswhite, Spennymoor says...
10:25am Mon 21 Sep 09
5:06pm Fri 18 Sep 09
"England is the most densely populated country in Europe."
That's an outright lie, because the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe. Even if it were true it's irrelevant because there's still plenty of room.
Dean M, Darlington says...
10:04pm Mon 21 Sep 09
chriswhite wrote:What do you mean by 'there's still plenty of room'?
Laird, darlington says... 5:06pm Fri 18 Sep 09 "England is the most densely populated country in Europe." That's an outright lie, because the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe. Even if it were true it's irrelevant because there's still plenty of room.
For whom? Anyone that wants to come? All asylum seekers, whether genuine or not? How many more millions before there is no more room? And who is going to pay for them......cos there's no jobs!
chriswhite, Spennymoor says...
1:10pm Tue 22 Sep 09
Economy grows proportionally to population, so there would be jobs.
Dean M, Darlington says...
5:38pm Tue 22 Sep 09
chriswhite wrote:Is that an increase of 1104m or a total of 1104m? Either way, 1,104,000,000 is a ridiculous figure bearing in mind our current total is approx 60,000,000 (5% of your total).
How many millions before there is no more room: 1104, at which point the entire UK would have the same population density as London does currently. Economy grows proportionally to population, so there would be jobs.
Unless you're talking about just cramming one billion people into all the open spaces of these islands (shoulder to shoulder perhaps?) - but if so, that's equally ridiculous.
As for jobs appearing in proportion, we're heading for 3m unemployed now (and that's with a 60m population). So again I think your suggestion that our economy will just expand so massively is unrealistic - to say the least!
chriswhite, Spennymoor says...
10:19am Wed 23 Sep 09
Not that that would ever happen because world population will top out at about 9bn in the next 50 years and remain pretty much constant after that.
The current rise in unemployment is nothing to do with immigration: it's because of the recession (which will reverse and become a period of growth again soon enough). It would remain about constant even with a steady level immigration. Imagine if the entire population of Poland moved here. Then all the things that they need in Poland are going to be needed here too. So jobs to provide those things will be required. The total employment rate between the two countries wouldn't significantly change simply because the populations were in one (arbitrarily defined) territory rather than two.
Super steve, The land that labour ruined says...
9:47pm Thu 24 Sep 09
d4x wrote:Never heard you bleating about the tens of thousands of Asian Ugandans kicked out of Uganda by this ladies tribal group ? in the early 80s. Shes not an asylum seeker shes an illegal immigrant, real asylum seekers stay as close to their homeland as possible, Why did she not return with her husband?. I bet the asylum seekers community workers are really gutted as if the asylum seekers are rightfully sent home they will be out of work.
Elizabeth,Marie and John are now in uganda and I hope the critics that voiced their opinions now feel guilty as hell,as when Elizabeth,Marie and John got off the plane they were arrested.And I hope that the immigration department have a really really big guilt trip over this as now they have put 3 lives in danger.But I am not going to let this one be forgotten and it is not the end for Elizabeth,Marie and john.We talk about peoples rights and she had non,everybody deserves to have safety for their kids and help whenever they need it.We are not called ''Great Britan'' anymore,we are nothing.As for Sheilagh Williamson,people have said this that and the other,but she helped this family understand how some British people can care and go out of their way to help and fight for the rights for others,I applaud shielagh and I know she has the fight in her to see this to the end.Remember Shielagh there are friends willing to help you all you need to do is ask them.
BACKING FOR ELIZABETH: Friends and supporters join the silent vigil at St Columba's Church in Darlington in support of Elizabeth Kiwunga and her children Hilary-Marie and John
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J.Moffatt, chilton says...
11:02am Fri 18 Sep 09