Although things like this have been claimed before, this time a photo was taken on a mobile phone. This photo apparently reveals extensive bruising to a woman’s shoulder and legs, which were allegedly caused by staff during the incident back on February 8^th. This was just days after dozens of asylum seekers instigated a hunger strike over the length of their detention. Another image showed the injuries to a detainee after a guard allegedly slammed a window on her hand.

This coming Tuesday the chief executive of the UK Border Agency, Lin Homer, and the agency’s chief inspector, John Vine, are expected to be questioned by the home affairs select committee over these claims. The chairman of the committee, Keith Vaz, said that the evidence is extremely concerning. If the allegations are correct, then it may be appropriate for a police investigation. They are eager to establish what exactly is going on in Yarl’s Wood.

The hunger strike will now enter into its fourth week tomorrow. The allegations of abuse are being examined by the London law firms Birnberg Peirce and Fisher Meredith. The law firms said that they have spoken to a client in Yarl’s Wood, and she has seen the bruising herself from the incident that took place on February 8^th.

Share This

The number of student visas could be cut by tens of thousands under this new rule. This would make it even harder for people to enter the UK. Those who are seeking to study in the UK will have to speak passable English. Also, students enrolling on short courses are banned from bringing dependents.

This new rule, which does not require legislation, comes into effect as of immediately. The changes follow criticism of the government’s new point based system, which came into affect last year. Prospective students will have to speak English to a level just below GCSE standards. In a move designed to protect jobs for British youngsters, students taking below degree level courses will only be permitted to work 10 hours a week instead of the current 20.

People who are taking courses that last less than six months will not be allowed to bring dependents. The dependents of students on below degree level courses will not be allowed to work. Student visas for below degree level courses with a work placement will also only be granted for institutions that are on a new register.

The Home Office did refuse to give an estimate in the drop in the number of visas it expects to grant due to the new rules. Alan Johnson from the Home Office said that they created their point base system so that they could respond quickly to changing circumstances when necessary to raise the bar students have to meet to come to the UK.

Share This

Ms Murphy went on to make this criticism known after revealing that a Bolivian woman and her children were paid £100,000 in compensation by the Home Office, because they were unlawfully detained at a center in Oakington near Cambridge for a whole month. The Home Office was not available for any comments.

Murphy went on to say that this is simply one case out of many that demonstrate the failure of the Home Office to comply with its own policy on the detention of children. Children are being detained in prison type conditions, and as this case demonstrates, the consequences are extremely damaging to these young kids. After all, it is not like these kids are spending just a few days in these conditions. This recent case saw children in these conditions for a month.

The lawyer noted that Carmen Quiroga and her children, who are between the ages of three and 11, were detained for 42 days in 2004. She said that Ms Quiroga’s had taken legal action, alleging that the Home Office behaved unlawfully. A judge went on to approve a settlement of Ms Quiroga’s claim at a private High Court hearing in London on Friday.

The children and this woman suffered appalling conditions and sustained psychiatric injuries due to it. Ms Murphy said that the family has been terrorized by the detention center staff who abused and threatened them. This family witnessed other detainees suffering similar treatment.

Share This

Over the past few years, Home Office statistics show that between 2004 and 2008, 45 Americans submitted asylum applications to the UK Border Agency. These Americans were claiming they had fled the United States and were unable to go back, because they had a well founded fear of persecution. There were also fifteen Canadians that applied to live in the UK. However, all 60 of these applicants have been turned down.

A United States government source said that the American applications were most likely submitted by self declared political refugees claiming they faced discrimination under the late administration. The applications from the United States peaked in 2008, the final year of George Bush’s presidency, when 15 Americans submitted the asylum claims.

During the years of 2004 and 2008, there were 132,640 asylum claims made in the UK. The Home Office did refuse to reveal just how many of the claims were refused and why, saying that a manual search off the records would be required and would exceed the time limit for Freedom of Information requests.

Although Americans were not able to get asylum in the UK, some Americans have been able to successfully claim asylum abroad over the past few decades. In 1997, the Netherlands granted asylum to Holly Ann Collins and her three children. They were fleeing the United States from domestic abuse.

Share This

According to European Union law, countries within the EU are required to allow citizens from within the union free movement across its borders. The UK initiative stipulates that passengers provide personal details prior to travel, thereby garnering warnings from the Home Affairs Select Committee that it may contravene over-riding laws. The e-Borders programme for Britain is this likely to be placed on hold while a legal ruling is made on the £1.2 billion scheme.

The new proposal has been pushed through parliament so far in spite of a ruling from the EU over its legality. The committee has declared that free movement rules would most definitely be breached by the e-Borders enactment which may also contravene laws governing data protection. The scheme came in for strong criticism by Home Affairs Select Committee Chairman Keith Vaz who claimed the fact that millions had been spent in spite of strong fears that it could be axed was shocking. Vaz also added that this oversight was disappointing and called for an immediate suspension to the move from the UKBA until a resolution is found.

The programme had hoped to collate the name, age, gender, address and nationality of every passenger and crew member progressively over the next five years with a 60 percent target by the end of this year alone, rising to 95 percent over the next year for all international passengers.

The Home Office has insisted that the e-Borders scheme will go ahead and that it is confident of its legality.

Share This

The first forcible removal of Zimbabweans was halted in September of 2006, pending a high court battle that ended in a ruling recognizing that those who were unable to demonstrate loyalty to Mugabe risked persecution if they were sent back home.

Phil Woolas said that the enhanced cash package was intended to encourage failed asylum seekers to return back home on their own free will. However, those who do not, will force the Home Office to take steps, over time, to enforce the law.

Mr Woolas went on to say that the UK Border Agency will be starting work during the autumn on a process aimed at normalizing their return policy to Zimbabwe. They wish to move back towards an enforced return plan for Zimbabweans when a political situation develops.

He also said that the Home Office took its obligations under the 1951 refugee convention seriously. Woolas continued that they will consider each case on its own merits and that those found not to be in need of protection will be return home, although they would prefer for those individuals to return home voluntarily. More information will be released at a later date.

Share This

The Identity and Passport Service has had to reduce its staffing levels accordingly, the decline resulting in many workers being loaned out to assist at JobCentres said David Normington the Home Office permanent secretary.

The report was made by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee and concerned the financial management of the department. The committee claimed that there had been significant improvements since 2006 when a similar report was last published. The group stated the Home Office had made vast improvements over the past three years, suggesting that the department was operating under systems that were previously in disarray. The Home Office is now referred to by the Cabinet as a role model for effective operations in the civil service.

The committee did however point out that there was still a tendency to inform retroactively when increased spending was required, noting that the ability to forecast passport demand accurately was a difficult.

The cost for a new British adult passport has risen to £77.50, up from £66 three years ago. The total number of passports issued in the past year was 5.23 million, down significantly from 6.2 million in 2006/07. The rise in costs coupled with cheaper air travel has prompted the suggestions that last minute applications were affecting forecasting abilities.

Share This

However, migration officials have denied the claims saying that the projections are based on the past decade and the next ten years were unlikely to produce similar results.

The Public Policy Research head, Tim Finch, claimed that the projections made by the Office for National Statistics has made assumptions acting on recent data whereas future patterns are likely to be vastly different. Finch pointed to the opening of EU borders which has previously encouraged migrant workers from Eastern Europe as a trend of the past.

The migration patterns of recent years have been predominantly inbound up until the recession but the outlook is for slowing numbers and increased emigration, meaning the figure of 70 million may be inaccurate. The ONS has said that Britain’s current population of 61.4 million would rise to 71.6 million by the year 2033, passing the 70 million mark somewhere during 2029. Such growth would be the largest since the baby boom and according to the ONS could mean numbers the equivalent of the city of Bristol added every day.

A new baby boom is unlikely as immigration crackdowns continue. In 2008 one if four newborns were from non-UK born mothers who statistically have a higher rate of child-bearing aged women and also a higher fertility rate than their British counterparts. The ONS projections have not worried Home Secretary Alan Johnson who has stated that he is not losing any sleep over population growth hitting 70 million.

Share This