Nigerian and Ghanaian nationals deported from UK

A record number of Nigerians and Ghanaians were deported to their home countries on one flight, with 44 forcibly removed on Friday, the Home Office has confirmed. The Guardian reports that the news came as it emerged that any asylum seekers who arrive in Diego Garcia before a treaty between the UK and Mauritius to hand back the Chagos Islands is finalised, will be sent to Saint Helena, the British territory in the Atlantic Ocean. The Chagos Islands deal is expected to be signed next year. About 60 Tamils who have been stranded on Diego Garcia since 2021 and who have mounted a legal challenge claiming they have been unlawfully detained will not be included in the Saint Helena deal. Judgment in their unlawful detention claim is expected soon. Numbers of asylum seekers arriving in Diego Garcia since 2021 are in the hundreds, not comparable to the tens of thousands crossing the Channel in boats from northern France to the UK in recent years. The Home Office said the Nigeria and Ghana deportations were part of a ‘major surge’ in immigration enforcement and returns. Since Labour came to power in July, 3 600 people have been returned to various countries, including about 200 to Brazil and 46 on a flight to Vietnam and Timor-Leste. There are also regular deportation flights to Albania, Lithuania and Romania.

Full report in The Guardian