UK Deports 44 Ghanaian, Nigerian Asylum Seekers in Largest Single Flight
UK Breaks Record with Mass Deportation of Nigerians and Ghanaians
- The UK Home Office confirmed the deportations are part of a "major surge" in immigration enforcement
- Ghana and Nigeria have seen relatively few deportations in recent years
- One deportee claimed to be a victim of human trafficking but had his claim rejected
The United Kingdom has deported 44 asylum seekers from Nigeria and Ghana, marking the largest single deportation flight to date, as reported by the UK Guardian.
This action follows closely on the heels of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s controversial agreement to relocate migrants arriving by small boats to the remote Chagos Islands, with subsequent resettlement to St Helena, a British territory over 5,000 miles away.
The UK Home Office confirmed that these deportations are part of a significant increase in immigration enforcement. Since Starmer assumed office in July, about 3,600 individuals have been deported to various nations, including 200 to Brazil and 46 to Vietnam and Timor-Leste. Regular flights are also targeting nations like Albania, Lithuania, and Romania.
Notably, deportations to Nigeria and Ghana have been infrequent, with only four recorded since 2020. The last deportation to Nigeria occurred in June, involving 13 individuals sent to Lagos.
One of the Nigerian deportees claimed he was a victim of human trafficking, but the Home Office dismissed his assertion. “I told the Home Office I was a victim of trafficking. They rejected my claim,” he recounted. Another deportee, who had lived in the UK for 15 years as an asylum seeker without any criminal record, also saw his application denied.
In August, Nigeria reportedly entered a deportation agreement with the UK to facilitate the return of undocumented immigrants, a move that followed significant challenges to the UK’s asylum deal with Rwanda.
