Diane Abbott accuses Home Office of being 'institutionally racist' over Caribbean deportations
FORMER shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has attacked the Home Office for being "institutionally racist".
The Labour MP, who would have been in charge of immigration policy If Labour had won the 2019 general election, criticised the Government department for the deportation of people who had committed crimes in the UK. She wrote on social media: "Statistics reveal what has long been suspected. "UK system of deportation is institutionally racist."
Her comment came after campaigners claimed people from the Caribbean were more likely to be targeted for deportation, after committing a crime, than those from other countries.
Foreign nationals jailed in the UK for at least 12 months are liable for possible deportation upon their release under the UK Borders Act.
The legislation, which was placed on the statute book in 2007 under the then Labour government, means only those who are eligible for human rights exemptions are spared the risk of being forced out of the country.
Analysis of Ministry of Justice and Home Office data indicates that between 2015 and 2020, 65 percent of those eligible for deportation were removed.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has continued to attack "activist lawyers" and Labour politicians for attempting to block the deportations, which she herself appears to have no problems with, despite some deportees having nowhere to go when they arrive at the other end.
The number was significantly higher for Jamaican nationals at 75 percent along with those from other Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, and St Lucia.
Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, chair of the Windrush National Organisation, said the statistics proved Jamaicans were being unfairly targeted.
"This bears out what we’ve been saying for a very long time – that particularly Jamaicans have disproportionately fallen foul of immigration regulations," he told The Guardian.
"I believe the British government are disregarding family lives.
"I understand people have committed crimes, but they are being punished twice – they have served their time in prison, many have gone back to their families and children, some have spent years out of prison, and then they’re deported."
"Returns, including deportations as well as voluntary departures, to Jamaica constituted less than one percent of all returns between January 2015 and March 2020."
During the 2019 election, the Labour Party said if it won it would commit to ending the "hostile environment" that is immigration.
The party's manifesto stated: "A Labour government will establish a humane immigration system and end the ‘hostile environment’ that caused the Windrush scandal of British citizens being deported.
"Instead, our system will be built on human rights and aimed at meeting the skills and labour shortages that exist in our economy and public services."
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Home Secretary Priti Patel has continued to attack "activist lawyers" and Labour politicians for attempting to block the deportations, which she herself appears to have no problems with, despite some deportees having nowhere to go when they arrive at the other end because they have no connections to the Caribbean.
She has accused "lefties" of launching last-minute legal challenges to thwart flights removing foreign criminals. Despite many of those challenges being successful enough to halt many deportations.
On one flight in December 2020, nearly two dozen people set to be deported were removed due to successful last minute legal appeals. Of the 36 planned to be returned to Jamaica, just 13 remained onboard.
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Diane Abbott rages against Patel and demands deportation flight for criminals be cancelled