3rd October 2013 Kingston, Jamaica
DEPORTATION: STIGMA & SUPPORT
The majority of my working day is spent designing, developing and managing projects, to support Jamaican nationals returned from the UK settle back into a productive and fulfilling life in Jamaica. Most of this is informed by listening to Jamaicans the majority of whom tell me they need practical support such as help in getting documentation, finding work and securing accommodation. Nearly all tell me that once home they want the chance to make a new beginning, to be accepted within their communities and to move forward without the stigma of deportation.
‘You feel it. You feel it in every aspect. As a person that was deported, we see how you talk to us, we see how you deal with us and we see that it is only because I am deported’. Glen Powell
‘I would like to see the stigma of deportation removed from our society because it’s killing us, the stigma is making it harder for me to get a job’. Brian Lynch
It is stigma and a lack of support that led Glen Powell and others to establish the National Organisation of Deported Migrants (NODM). NODM is supported by the British High Commission to provide practical and psychological support to those returned from the UK. We are assisting NODM change public perception and dialogue around the issue of deportation and to address the practical needs of those returned.
Support and advice is needed long before people step off the plane. Prior to deportation many people feel angry and frustrated, many feel nervous and anxious about the future. In recognition of this I recently chaired a multi-agency discussion on how to better disseminate and distribute information on support available in Jamaica within the UK prisons and removal centres.
Thanks to the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, the National Offender Management Services and Detention Operations we are working hard to ensure each and every Jamaican awaiting removal or deportation is aware of support services available on the ground in Jamaica. We will also be introducing a free phone help line that will enable Jamaicans talk to Jamaicans about their fears of returning, the concerns they have, and the support they can expect on arrival.
As Glen Powell, President of NODM recently said ‘deportation is a second chance… before we got into trouble, we had dreams. We had dreams and we were reaching for those dreams. Something happened to knock us off that path. We just have to pick it up and go again’.
Hi I arrived voluntarily from the UK in April of this year and I have been having a very rough time. I have slept in kitchens got a live in job where I had was to spent the salary to look after the person I was supposed to be working for am not well I was diagnosed with diabetes February of last year while in the UK shortly after arriving in Jamaica I contacted the NDOM and spoke to Mr Oswald Dawkins told him what was happening to me he offered to help I was given appointment where no one bother to turn up when I arrived at the office . He later spoken to me on the phone and told me even though I was working and not been able to keep the money at least am not on the streets, Mr Oswald then told me over the phone that their organizations does not have a facility for females and if I want food they could provide that I have never met with or heard from Mr Oswald since that was some time in July at this moment I don’t have food to eat or money my friends in the UK have been helping me but it is difficult for them too . I am in need of help and I don’t know where to go many nights I had to eat dirt and drink water go to bed. My family’s here treated me like am a disease I am more of an illegal immigrant here than when I was in the UK . I need help please .my phone number is 5927053 Thank you .
To say that the information provided is not helpful is saying this mildly your free phone number is simply saying it’s disconnected what sort of help is that you claim it can be accessed from the UK but guess what it doesn’t personally I prefer to speak to someone then I know exactly what steps to take what help is there when you can even get a reply.
Shayne Fairman says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
April 2, 2014 at 8:25 pm
Dear all, especially Ms. Anna Jordan-West,
I am Shayne Fairman in the final semester of a Journalism Major at Carimac, the University of the West Indies.
I am part of a year long Print Journalism course, called Print Journalism(COMM 3399), in it we have to do a Magazine project, that is print/publish and Launch it.
My sorry is on Deportation, its titled: Dipped, but Determined and I have looked at the reintegration aspect of it.
My story is completed and the Magazine will be Launch on may 1, at 6 p.m. on the Mona Campus.
However, my dilemma is this, I am seeking an ad to go with my story, hence my contacting you Ms. Anna Jordan-West.
Looking forward to your timely response.
Regards,
Shayne Fairman
P.S. Please contact me at shaynefairman@rocketmail.com
got a lot of question concerning immigration
I noticed my last comment was not posted.
What support do you have for those deported without their passport, driving licences or any form of proof of identity?
Why should you (UK gov) need to hold these Jamaican documents?
Who will foot the cost of replacing these documents needed to establish ones self in a job, further education etc?
Dear Mr Sampson
Many thanks for your comments. The British High Commission provide funds for the National Organisation of Deported Migrants (NODM) to help returned Jamaicans get documentation. This can include a birth certificate, drivers licence and TRN amongst others. Please feel free to contact them on 356 1126 or http://www.nodm.org.jm.
Kind regards
Anna
How about donating the facilitated return scheme funds to the hostels (or wherever) in support of the so called “DANGEROUS” criminals instead of giving it (the cash cards) to the escorting bullies.
And I feel and recognise with Diplock but would I would prefer to know what extra punishment do you (uk gov.) have in place for British citizen who complete a sentence? And why are foreign nationals subjected to the discriminatory policy of a second trial, via IAC, contrary to ECHR Article 14?
Open Letter to Anna Jordan – West & NODM
Dear Sirs/ Madams
There is a wide brainwashing process being undertaken and widely disseminated across the Jamaican media networks promoted by the British authorities which is liken to the covering of a badly baked and burnt cake being covered by exquisite icing.
These propaganda stunts are churned out at the Jamaican people who for the most part are unaware and uneducated on the facts of the UK deportation policies, unaware of the applicable laws and legal arena, hence as a result of your previous hype and hysteria some citizens are shunning and distancing themselves from deportees as if they have the plague based on your argument that people are only returned as a last resort when in fact the UK deports Jamaicans as a matter of course.
I hereby humbly take this opportunity to try and balance the debate with a few pointers:
1) Inform the Jamaican public that you are breaching international law by handcuffing detainees prior to boarding a flight and that the handcuffs are kept on until long after the plane is airborne. That the UK government use security contractors who are beating up and abusing detainees prior to them boarding flights, and while on the plane, usually before detainees are taken on board the flights the security people conduct a series of conditioning procedures to “soften up” detainees with fear and bullying tactics. Whilst detainees are taken to isolated areas at the rear of the plane where they can shield what they are doing from other passengers ( of course you will say to afford them dignity and privacy); that detainees are curtained off by security strategically creating a wall of guards, or individual guards will use their body to effectively hide these abuses from the lens of the planes CCTV cameras and curious passengers. These abuses are carried out while detainees are handcuffed. These abuses and threats are unlawful. These abuses breaches international law.
2) Inform the Jamaican people that you are removing and deporting people from the UK who often leave children behind who are born in the UK therefore those children are British citizens. When a person subject to deportation has children or a child born in the UK, such persons have additional rights, in particular if that person was providing financial support to their children, that such deportations subject those children to hardship or cruelty as often the single parent, (often mothers) left behind is left in destitution and poverty given the absent other parent has been deported. There is more to parental support than financial. The presence of both parents are of great importance. These children often grow up experiencing problems directly linked to the fact that they had an absent parent. Usually the absent parent is a father.
Research has shown that the absence of black fathers usually have a significant impact and effect upon black and bi-racial/bi-cultural children. This immigration policy is a discriminative and racist policy regularly carried out by the UK government.
This also means that the UK side has not properly considered Jamaican nationals Article 8 cases in their entirety and has arrived at an unfair and flawed conclusion. It therefore means that the deported person had other rights of appeals, even to the European Court of Human Rights should the UK courts and the UKBA refuse their appeals.
What follows usually is that they are removed/deported before they are able to properly appeal, or re- appeal as the case may be, along with the fact fact that the UKBA will detain them, usually for very long periods of time beyond the recommended guidelines, in particularly when deportation or removal was not imminent (because of the pending appeal rights or any actual pending appeals).
4) Explain to the Jamaican people that the UK uses a peculiar terminology when dealing with deportation cases: that the UK will remove/deport persons they regard as ” not conducive to public good” and that term is widely open to interpretation to the delight and advantage of the UKBA and the government lawyers who play on words indicating a wide variety of reasons why a person continued stay in the UK is “not conducive…” implying therefore that they pose significant risks to the public. This is an unreasonable way of going about things and in fact retries individual post conviction.
5) Explain to the Jamaican people that a person who may have committed a crime, a first and only conviction does not mean that they pose a risk of reoffending and therefore their continued presence in the UK will not necessarily be a danger to the ‘public good’ all facts taken into account, however you must also tell the Jamaican people that the UK do not – never to my knowledge – deviate from that flawed argument where Jamaicans are concerned, unless of course the cases concerned are homosexuals or gang members whose lives may be at a greater risk if deported to Jamaica.
6) You must also tell the Jamaican people that you have nevertheless deported people to Jamaica – and other countries – whose lives you knew were at risk beforehand and some of these deported persons have since been murdered in their home countries following the UK government refusal to allow them to remain in the UK.
7) Explain to the Jamaican people that “not conducive to public good” usually refers to persons who have committed crimes (or allegedly accused of doing so) and that often such persons have a right of appeal against any conviction however as is often the case Jamaicans are unable to afford the cost of an appeal “out of time” (28 days extended for a limited time) thus after they have completed their sentence are then unable to properly obtain resources and suitable legal representation while in a detention center (IRC) and only become aware of a possible deportation at the very end of their sentences, unless (recommended for deportation by the court) so are unable to appeal the criminal conviction or obtain appropriate legal advise on appeal in a timely fashion.
8) Furthermore the Jamaican people must be told that the UK justice system actively discriminate against Jamaicans by regarding them as being prone to violence, aggressive attitudes and behavior, that the UKBA and the detention system plays on this perception and hence it extends to how assistance is either given or denied, as well as how they are perceived in Jamaican society therefore they are inevitably discriminated against and stigmatized at home or abroad..
9) In addition the UK government is actively targeting the removal of “dangerous foreign nationals (Jamaican nationals) they unfairly claim is clogging up the UK prison system.
10) Tell the Jamaican people that usually Jamaicans do not have a previous conviction in Jamaica nor in fact in the UK. That they are deported on a first offence regardless of seriousness. It is therefore unfair when UK government ministers refers to Jamaicans as dangerous foreign criminals.
11) Tell the Jamaican people that EU nationals commit far more serious crimes in the UK and often are not deported if they have children born in the UK and in the rare case scenario EU criminals are deported they are able to waltz back into the UK under EU law directives rules. Clearly there is an unfair view and treatment of Jamaicans.
12) Tell the Jamaican people that the UKBA often engage in “cut & paste” Determination and Reasons with repetitive conclusions being repeated across the board in Jamaican decisions within UKBA refusals.
13) Tell the Jamaican people that Jamaican cases are not usually dealt with on their individual merits, on a case by case basis, but by UK government policy driven criteria that Jamaicans must be deported.
14) Most importantly tell the Jamaican people that the Jamaican authorities could refuse to allow the UK to return Jamaicans at the airports,( as some countries have done), in particularly Jamaicans who have children in the UK ought not be deported and at the very least this would of course afford the Jamaican national and their UK born children and partners some dignity, a chance of keeping families together considering the vast cultural damage carried out during colonial history.
15) Tell the Jamaican people that the UK is giving well needed aid to Jamaica, a country which the UK has no intention of apologizing to for the genocide of slavery, nor indeed will the UK government even entertain the idea of reparation, nor financial compensation to Jamaica and Jamaicans regarding that subject matter.
16) Tell the Jamaican people that the UK has the Jamaican people and the government in a vice grip which deprives Jamaicans of their rights, intends to keep it so, by so doing the UK government knows it undermines and insult the Jamaican constitution, denies Jamaicans their human right to justice as well as unfettered access to justice, while they are within the EU where Jamaicans have additional rights under various EU treaties and directives where immigration and deportations are concerned – but that the UK will not usually allow third country nationals (Jamaicans) – to benefit from those additional rights while they are on UK soil, within UK airspace or even over international waters in many instances while wearing handcuffs and sandwiched between security guards.
17) Tell the Jamaican people that even though the UK government had put in place a means by which people could appeal ‘out of country’ that in fact it is a myth and Jamaicans are usually discourage from doing so by the pittance cash handouts given by the UK government.
18) Tell the Jamaican people as it is. Jamaicans will understand “Bakrah”. There is no need to sugar coat what you are doing at the NODM. Anyone with any sense can see the underlying implications as well as the benefits.
The UK government have an obligation to provide support and aid in these circumstances as is recommended by various international bodies including the EU and the UN. You are not doing Jamaicans any favors at the NODM.
19) The important point however is that the UK government should stop the deprivation of Jamaican nationals rights in all their international concepts and jurisdictional ethos, refrain from the criminalizing of Jamaicans before and after they have been deported by your lecturing grandstanding and the parading of returnees that you are claiming to help.
Sincerely
“Diplock”
Dear Diplock
Thank you very much for your comment. I and various colleagues have read it with interested. You are clearly very close to many of the issues surrounding deportation. You are obviously passionate about a wide range of issues that affect both the UK and Jamaica. It would be extremely difficult for me to respond to all of the issues you raise and to adequately address your statements and concerns through this blog. I would therefore like to invite you to contact ppa.kingston@fco.gov.uk. This will enable colleagues of mine to review your thoughts, grievances and ideas.
You could also consider contacting the National Organisation of Deported Migrants (NODM) who are now operating a free phone line 1-888-935-5132 (this is a free landline that can be called at no cost from either a landline or cell phone in the UK and Jamaica). They can also be contacted through their website http://www.nodm.org.jm
Thank you for taking the time to comment and for contributing so elegantly to the challenging issue of deportation.
Kind regards
Anna
I feel you and know precisely what you mean. The worst is lack of support for deported persons after sentence, who; had they been British citizen, would have had the probation service, resettlement and whole heap of other agency at their finger tips. The question is what are the international protocols on ex-prisoner still on licences (said to be “dangerous criminals” mind you) and what is our government doing to tackle these unjust actions?
Still, of course, considering the flagrant disregard of section 55 B.C.I Act 2009, section 11 Children’s Act 1989 and the Statutory Guidance on Every Child Matters where children involved are left without fathers or mothers and sometimes both!
The fundamental rights of the child under U.N.C.R.C are breached by UK, so significant it needs attention by the international authority.
But then again our government should know all this…shouldn’t they?
Hi
I am from the Probation Service and am working with a male who is very liekly to be deported back to Jamaica. I would be grateful if you could contact me so I can share any details with him in terms of resources, people to contact etc.
Kind regards
Hi Damian,
My name is Oswald Dawkins and I am the General Secretary of NODM. Feel free to contact me at oswald.dawkins@yahoo.com; you can also reach me by way of NODM’s cell 356-1126.