Thread by @JacquiMckenzie6

The #Jamaica deport charter flight 2021 left in the early hours of this morning. The #homeoffice originally presented the Jamaican authorities with a list of 90 people they wanted to deport including many who came to the UK as children. After much work by the Jamaican High

Commission in the UK, the Home Office acknowledging that some people were wrongly included on the list and some legal representations, only 7 men, 7, of the original 90, left the UK today. Much will be said/written about this deportation. The Jamaica government, on this occasion,

acted reasonably admirably. The High Commission in particular worked around the clock and through the night on issues to do with people who arrived as children, those with Windrush connections and the risk to Jamaica's public health system due to inadequacies re Covid protocols.

On Monday night, the Jamaican government raised concerns re Covid protocols. On Tuesday morning, they were told that 17 men who were still scheduled to go at that stage, had received negative PCR tests. When journalists made enquiries about this, the story changed to,

The Jamaicans have been told that PCR tests will be offered. When & what use would that have been a few hours before the flight was due to leave? But worst, how dare the Home Office directly mislead the Jamaican government? You cannot visit Jamaica without evidence of a negative

PCR test taken 72 hours before a journey. The British government is prepared to put the already weakened health care systems of Jamaica, an ally, under serious threat by misleading them & by offering them 300k vaccines. I wait to hear what explanation the Jamaicans will be given.

Of Course the Home Office could have done this properly & the Jamaica government would have found its hands tied once it got some of what it sought. No, this debate isn't about short term stays though these are important. One man was taken off the flight at the last minute when a

Judge ruled on a possible Windrush link, two men in their 60s, both ill, including one with possible dementia, who did go, possibly have Windrush connections. Just recently, FOI data revealed that Jamaicans, Nigerians and Ghaians are disproprtionaly targeted for deportation.

Deportation is inhumane. Prison is meant to be about rehabilitation preparation for rejoining society. No where in the texts of criminologists is there the notion that you be punished again once you've served your sentence. But more importantly, these deportations remind us that

the value of the Black family is as meaningless today as it was during slavery. For British children to see or read about their fathers being grabbed at dawn, shackled & cuffed & removed from their loved ones after already paying for any crimes & often whilst leading years of

changed lives is deeply disturbing. The fact that there is still so much Windrudh connection, directly and indirectly, is disturbing. The fact that powerful countries still offer trinkets and flex their muscles, is disturbing. The fact that voices of many faith leaders, MPs

on different sides of the house, NGOs, lawyers and judges, journalists and other commentators are ignored on the inhumanity of deportation is disturbing. Several children and partners have had their lives ripped apart. Some of these men, particularly those convicted of drug

offences, the majority, (urban living & the Criminal justice system is for another day), will have unaffectedly British codefendants. The Jamaica government did put up some resistance. If I were them I wouldn't have allowed the flight but I'm not privy to all of the pressure and

bullying of poor countries. I applaud Jamaica's stand on Windrush, trying to safeguard people who came to the UK as children and in trying to protect its public health systems. Up to an hour before the flight, the High Commissioner in the UK was making enquiries re individuals.

Deportation must now be discussed within the context of international relations & human rights. Like Windrush, there was insufficient capacity to fight back though this is growing. The community respone to each charter is admirable but insufficient. Some of the big NGOs are mute,

the smaller ones, overreached. But credit to them & the powerful voices who emerged. Credit to the lawyers who worked pro bono into the long nights. Credit to the families who tried their very best; sad to hear some of you were disgracefully turned away from final visits.

Deportation is ghastly & inhumane. We need urgent dialogue at an international & community level. The receiving countries need help to fight back.The Borders Act 2007 must be repealed. People facing deportation need help with quality representation. But in the end, the British

government tried to deport 90 people & destroy 90 families. 93 were saved. Something is very wrong with a system which exists to show strength, falsely posited within a paradigm of public safety, which gets so much wrong. Law, activism & resistance can end this ghastly practice.