Yarls Wood

We are very grateful to the North East Bedford MP Alistair Burt for granting us a visit on the 9/03/18

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We are very grateful to the Minster of State for the Middle East and North East Bedford MP Alistair Burt for granting us a visit on the 9/03/18 where a few of us got the opportunity to talk to him about our concerns and give him the list of our demands which he stated he could deliver to the Immigration minister, we trust as a member of the cabinet he has the ability to do so in a timely manner.

I am hopeful as he was most attentive and showed genuine interest in our situation.

He confirmed that the purpose of Immigration Removal Centres is to detain those the Home Office can remove and not people they intend to remove, and I hope that we will be free to fight our cases from a different position soon. I hope he takes active measures to ensure the Home Office apply this policy as in was intended and not as the Home Office choose to interpret it.

The fact that a considerable number of detainees are eventually released into the community clearly demonstrates that there is no purpose in their detention in the first place and this is unfair, counterproductive, and a costly measure both to the people detained and the tax payer.

I hope he does not forget about us in this tucked away, quiet part of his constituency and we hope to hear from him soon.

We would like to fight our case from outside being free not inside being weak.

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My name is **** ****, born on **.**.****. I am a Nepali citizen and came to the UK in 2009 as a Tier 4 Student. I have completed BA (Hons) and Master Degree from UK. I was granted further leave to remain in the UK as a Tier 1 Post Study Work. Thereafter, I was granted further leave to remain in the UK as a Tier 2 Migrant valid until 2017, however, my leave was curtailed in 2015, two years early. Thereafter, I made an application on the basis of an established private and family life in the UK. Unfortunately, my application was refused.

I was very frustrated, and I did not know what I should do since I cannot return to Nepal because of my well-founded fear of persecution by a social religious group and my in-laws over there. Indeed, I had a relationship with **** **** (my wife) for a long time though we are from different religion and cast. We got married in 2012 when I went to Nepal during my holidays. We did register our marriage without letting any of our family members know about it, as they were strictly against our relationship because of our different caste and religion. My wife came to UK as my dependant in 2013.

I applied for Judicial Review on 2016, when my further leave to remain application was refused. I didn’t know much about the visa processing, and trusted an agent who applied for my visa, who didn’t even gave his firm’s address while processing my application. I was waiting for the response of the Judicial review when I was detained from my residence along with my wife as an over stayer.

We were detained in October 2017, which has been about five month by the date of this statement which is 6th March 2018. It is inhuman to detain someone for such a long period of time. We have our case going on since the time we have been detained. We are in the process of asking permission to appeal to upper tribunal court.

We are really very frustrated and are very depressed. I along with my wife have been in depression for many times since we came here. We are not fit to stay in here mentally. I have visited the medical many times trying to tell them I am not fit at all to stay in here. Though, for some reason, I always get the same reply in my temporary admission request that I am fit to stay in here, which is not true. I have been a victim of torture in the past, and I did Rule 35, but whatever I went through and how it is affecting my current life was ignored by the home office. And, as there isn’t much place to go in here but to stay inside the room, I recall my past all the time.

Five months is a very long time for anyone to be detained. Our case is still going on and we would fight till the end. We would like to fight our case from outside being free not inside being weak.

We had our bail in January 2018, but unfortunately it was refused. We did have two sureties who are my cousin sister and my cousin brother, with all the documents required for the application. Even the Home Office presenting officer didn’t have any objection with the documents presented. We had provided the address where we would stay and it was not objected as well. Even after fulfilling all the criteria our bail was refused, which was our only hope of getting out.

I and my wife are very much suffocated now and we feel like if longer we have to stay here we might harm ourselves. No human beings deserve to live like this.

This whole thing started out of desperation and frustration and a deep sense of injustice felt by myself and others.

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This whole thing started out of desperation and frustration and a deep sense of injustice felt by myself and others. We needed a voice and more importantly we needed someone to listen. We needed to be reminded that we are human beings because trust me when I say most of us are so dehumanised by this process of detention and the way we are treated in detention that you start to forget.

Every day is a battle, personally I have to think of a reason to go on living every day, to go on fighting, to not give up. I have moments when I do give up and feel so sorry for myself that I consider letting them deport me.

Just one problem, I honestly don’t feel like I have another country, it’s not like I’ve had an easy life here, quite the opposite, but it’s still my home. I don’t identify with any other nationality and I’m having an identity crisis, I don’t know where I belong anymore. I feel like I’m about to be exiled.

I would rather die in Britain than live in the country they want to send me to.

I worry about what is happening to her I hope she is safe. It’s really bothering me.

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I keep thinking about my friend *****,

She was deported to India on Saturday, after escaping her family who were persecuting her because she wouldn’t agree to a forced marriage and married for love instead and out of cast. She suffered terrible abuse before escaping to Britain. She studied and worked here for 7 years, she made a life for herself here and even though she was abandoned by her husband she did ok here.

She wanted to claim asylum but was given bad legal advice and withdrew her claim as she was told to claim asylum when you are being removed and instead the lawyer took her money for other applications which were bound to be unsuccessful.

When she tried to claim asylum before she was removed they told her that she could not, is that even legal? Who knows what’s legal anymore? I certainly don’t.

I worry about what is happening to her I hope she is safe. It’s really bothering me.

I feel I am being threatened and patronised because of the protest

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Yarls Wood IRC
Bedford

On the 2/3/18, I was summoned to the Legal Home Office department to meet the Immigration Enforcement Manager Fiona Quaynor, I met her in the presence of her teammate (another) home office officer. I do not recall his name but he is Indian.

I was told by Fiona I am going to be interviewed by them especially because I am on the hunger strike protest in Yarl’s Wood over Home Office injustices and unfairness. They asked me if I was fit to do the interview to which I replied it’s ok we can proceed. Fiona explained to me that the interview was being done because I had refused food and fluids and that it was Home Office procedure to carry out the interview.

The interview kicked off and a number of questions were asked:

  • Why was I hunger striking?
  • What are my demands
  • Do I have a solicitor, etc.

After answering the questions, Fiona read out to me what I considered conditions or repercussions of me being on hunger strike and asked me if I understood what she was reading out.

I was reassured that because I was on hunger strike it didn’t mean that;

  • My case would be favoured, it will take its due course
  • It will not lead to me being granted permission to stay in the UK
  • That it didn’t mean that my removal directions would be deferred
  • That it will not lead to the progress of my immigration or Asylum case being altered or delayed
  • That it will not lead to me being released.

To mention but a few, above is what I remember.

I am very upset till today that I feel I am being threatened and patronised because of the protest. It made me feel very upset, distressed and I feel sad and depressed that indirectly we/I am being punished for hunger striking and protesting. What happened to human rights, freedom of speech and expression? Should we just keep quiet when we are not happy and pretend like everything is alright?

Is it because I am a prisoner that cannot speak out and air out my opinions and views? Is this how Britain welcomes immigrants? This is very unfair to us and I hope one day that this country, Home Office and government will protect vulnerable immigrants and refugees.

All I need is to be safe from my pursuits from my family in Uganda, it has not been a safe journey in my life especially since coming out that I am gay, but now I feel I am being punished by the one country that should give me protection. I cannot return to my country for fear of my life, it’s one of the top countries that prosecute LGBTQ people.

I am already feeling scared, frightened and I am always under the weather for being rejected by my husband’s family, community, workmates and friends. I fear for my dear life on a daily.

So trying to patronise me because I am protesting for a change that directly affects makes me feel even more anxious and angry every day.

In most questions, I told the Home Office they have a right to do whatever they want to do because I cannot control them and neither do I make their policies. I just pray for fairness and justice to prevail when it comes to my case. I lean on the hope in God that never disappoints. Only God knows destiny, no man can change what God has planned for me.

No matter what happens, let me be remembered as a Uganda Detainee that was fighting for the vulnerable and mistreated asylum seekers.

One day we shall all rest and leave this wicked world, God is in charge of our lives, Home Office can decide and throw us back in the den of lions but God shall save us.

In Healthcare, I was asked to sign a document that take away the duty of care of my health from Healthcare.

The Doctor asked me to sign so Healthcare doesn’t have to be liable for my health.

“In case any health hazard happens to you, maybe you faint or at the verge of death, if you can sign the document, we shall not touch you.”  In other words, I will have to die and healthcare, Serco and Home Office will not be liable. I refused to sign. Where is the humanity and compassion from these people that are meant to take care of us. It’s ridiculous and very frustrating.

Currently I am still on hunger strike and eating snow as I feel that’s all I want to eat right now. I am angry I feel I am not wanted in this country, let the Home Office and the Home Secretary kill me here in the UK, than returning me to a death trap in Uganda.

 

We are on a hunger strike because we are suffering unfair imprisonment and racist abuse in this archaic institution in Britain.

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While I cannot speak for every detainee in Yarl’s Wood I can tell you that our group of protesters who are participating in the hunger for freedom strike are of mixed backgrounds and religions but we all have one thing in common, We are detained INDIFINITELY! and we are refusing food because we are DESPERATE at the treatment we endure by the HOME OFFICE, not because of religious beliefs but rather fundamental ethics regarding our rights as HUMAN BEINGS.

We feel voiceless, forgotten and ignored.

This is a desperate measure due to desperate circumstances.

One of our group was called to see a home official on Tuesday and that same official asked her “why don’t you go back to your country” she has an asylum case pending.

It does not surprise me hear this as I believe there are many xenophobes working here, and while we were talking about it amongst ourselves a Serco manager walked past and heard one of our repeat this phrase and blurted out “that’s a good idea”.

We are on a hunger strike because we are suffering unfair imprisonment and racist abuse in this archaic institution in Britain.

 

Sorry if this sounds a little incoherent but it’s my fourth day without food.

Hello from Yarl’s Wood

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Hello from Yarl’s Wood

Mixed feelings about today,

It’s good that the ladies feel like they have achieved something and I do too in a way.

The Home Office officials refused to talk to us as a group but we stood our ground. The directors strong armed them into it and they did eventually talk to us, although they did not really say anything worth listening to. Just things like our detention is lawful (doesn’t feel like it) and they don’t detain asylum seekers and torture victims, but I can tell you this place would be more or less empty without them. We demanded to know how they can justify detaining people indefinitely and they said each case is different and judged individually, so when I said that there isn’t a pattern and it seems like a universal response from the home office they claimed that we would see a pattern because they have grounds to detain us. But let me tell you there is no pattern in the circumstances of detainees, only the reasons given by the home office.

They refused to state that rape is torture and said “no comment” on that matter. It can be summed up as talking to a brick wall like every other occasion I’ve had to speak with an immigration officer.

Then she passed a piece a paper around and insisted we write our names on it so “they could reply in writing to our demands”.

But we all know this was a scare tactic to make people apprehensive and worry about their individual cases. I was so touched when not only everyone who had sat there wrote their names but the ladies prevented from coming where we were [the home office department] and sat in the corridor instead, insisted on writing their names.

I feel pressure to help the ladies which I put on myself, even before this protest I felt the same when I see people struggle with their paperwork or even when they don’t know where to go for something or just when I see someone crying I stop and ask if they are ok. Some people are in such a bad way and they react badly but that’s ok because the way I see it I might have been the only person to speak to them that day, and I know they just miss their families or they have serious psychological issues, I feel sorry for people.

A manager told me last week that I should concentrate on my case and be more selfish as I might feel better if I stop taking on people’s problems. He might have a point but I can’t help but have empathy and maybe that’s why I could never do a job like his. I empathise with people regardless of the colour of their skin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and political beliefs. To me people are people, and we all want the same things on a human level. We want to feel safe, we want to love and be loved, and we want to feel accepted.

I’m getting emotional now and not sure what I’m writing about anymore I think the lack of caffeine and food is having an effect on my ability to concentrate, god knows I’ll be talking absolute gibberish tomorrow x x x

Thank you all for your support we appreciate it x x  👍👍😊😊👣

Hungry foreigner Made in Britain

Messages from the peaceful protest

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There are currently 18 people staging a peaceful cit in protest outside the home office department in Yarl’s Wood, some have been prevented from the sit in by a prison lock down.

A Home Office official just walked past us and asked if we are having a party, the home office workers know we are on a hunger strike but they keep walking past with their lunches.

The Home Office must talk to us as a group, we wont be divided.

More people are joining the sit in throughout the centre, including 14 men from the family wing of the prison.

 

We are still in the legal department.

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We are still in the legal department.

They asked if there was anything we can do for you. And we kept quiet. They asked whether we would want to see the home office. They said that we can make you an appointment to see you one by one.

And we said we don’t want to be seen like that. We want you to meet all of us, as a group with one representative to talk. They went away and said they would get back to us.

We will remain here until the end of the day.

I feel like I have already been removed from society

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I feel very isolated in here (Yarl’s Wood). It’s not like just a lonely feeling. It’s a different kind of isolation. I feel like I have already been removed to a place with different laws, removed from my friends and family, removed from society, so far removed from every comfort.

I find myself missing silly things like animals. I want to play with my dog. I have not seen a child in so long, do little people exist anymore?

I miss watching football with a cold Peroni. I wonder what happened in Game of Thrones? silly things really.

I am busy in here though, because English is my first language people always ask me to read documents for them and I want to help as best I can of course I do but it does take it’s toll on me. A lady was given a ticket yesterday and she was so distressed, it could have been avoided had she been provided with the help she needed as she does not read English.

I have to go now as I just received a text to go to reception. Every time I get a text message, I have a mini panic attack. Everyone does, and it’s doing my head right in.

Bye for now

From an angry foreigner who was made in Britain