#asylum-seekers

#asylum-seekers

This is a film made with the best of intentions and it has some good insights into the loneliness and isolation of seeking asylum in the UK. But there are a few too many sentimental moments to properly work as social-realism, or anything close to convincing drama, which is disappointing given its creator, Don Ng, is a journalist-turned-director making his feature debut.

A coastguard spokesperson told the AFP news agency that the rescued asylum seekers were from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and the occupied Palestinian territory. They were taken to the Cretan city of Rethymno, the spokesperson said, and after undergoing health checks, their asylum claims will be processed. In a separate incident on Thursday, the European Union's border agency Frontex rescued 65 men and five women seeking refuge from two boats in distress off Gavdos, the Greek coastguard added.

The closure of the camp is a day of very mixed emotions for everyone who has been involved in supporting the residents.

No child should have to suffer the ordeal that she suffered. It's clear from the footage we have seen that no one can seriously entertain the thought that you believed she was consenting. This is a case where it was absolutely clear to both of you that you were taking a child away from her friends in the face of her vigorous protests to somewhere that could not be observed in order to commit this offence.

"Food, friendship, music and song are reminders of what Irish people are," she said, adding "that identity is much stronger" when friendship is extended to all newcomers. Mercedes Verona Pereira, from Cuba - one of the event organisers - told the gathering: "You don't need to fear anything, as our mutual responsibility as a community is to take care of you."

He has not been summoned to appear in court; he is going as an observer for the pro-immigrant organization American Friends Service Committee. He has been doing this since May, when the first reports of immigrants being seized by ICE agents in immigration courts surfaced, including violent scenes and families being separated by masked officers. In a waiting room where several grave-looking individuals are holding folders filled with papers, the hearing calendar is taped to the wall.

I am exhausted by this situation and find it deeply unfair and unjust. I arrived on a boat with 83 other people, and only 12 of us were moved to a detention centre. The rest are being processed through the asylum system normally and are now in hotels. Meanwhile, we are being held here alongside people who may have criminal convictions.

France, UK, France, UK, France it's not my choice, he says. I went to UK twice because I felt I had no other option. The smugglers in northern France attacked me and threatened my life before I crossed to the UK for the first time on August 6. When the Home Office returned me here the first time I believed the smugglers were still searching for me. I continue to believe that. I am frightened every time I go outside the shelter.

The woman's cries echo down the hallway, shattering the usual silence of a courtroom. Her four-year-old daughter joins in, beginning to cry in her father's arms as the family is surrounded by half a dozen masked agents. The only other sounds are the whispers of volunteers, who are quickly trying to identify the family about to be detained, and the cameras of journalists witnessing the scene. It's impossible to hear what the immigration officials are saying to the Venezuelan couple, as they are cornered.

Our clients are still waiting for answers as to how this was allowed to happen and accountability for the significant harm they suffered. We represent highly vulnerable individuals, including children, families and victims of trafficking and torture, who were deeply affected by their experiences at Manston. They are the victims of the inhuman and degrading treatment that occurred, and it is therefore the responsibility of the Home Office to ensure that this public inquiry is allowed to take place without any further delays.

He had arrived in the country hoping to start a new life with his Venezuelan partner, after being forced to leave his home due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His partner's mother and family welcomed him as one of their own and waited for him with open arms. A year later, they are still waiting for him.

Gardaí believe the violence in Citywest was "far more organised and planned" than the rioting in Dublin city centre two years ago.

Public order gardaí were deployed to the hotel after a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the facility, which is currently being used to house asylum-seekers. Fireworks, bricks, bottles and other objects were thrown at gardaí as the crowd swelled in numbers. The garda water cannon was brought to the scene. A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said members "were subjected to sustained levels of violence".

Godwin said she does "not anticipate" that she will fund asylum seekers' travel out of her budget. But she added Home Office-issued tickets would offer "a cheaper and greener way for people to attend essential appointments." Asylum seekers living in hotels are given 9.95 per week. Those living in Bristol have to travel to Patchway for mandatory meetings with the Home Office. A single bus ticket costs 2.50, or 6.50 for a daily pass.

Bristol City of Sanctuary has been campaigning for asylum seekers to receive free bus travel. The charity is relying on donations to offer bus tickets that are often used for mandatory Home Office meetings, or to take young children to a creche.

Epping Forest District Council is seeking to block migrants lodging at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which was the scene of vociferous protests over the summer. Lawyers for the authority accused Somani Hotels of 'sidestepping' planning laws due to 'the lure of a trove of government-funded profits'. The Home Office, which intervened in the case, argued the closure of asylum hotels must be 'structured' and gradual.

An asylum seeker who took his own life on the Bibby Stockholm barge would still be alive were it not for failures in his care by the Home Office and NHS mental health workers, his family has said. Leonard Farruku, 27, was found dead in December 2023 on the government's former accommodation vessel for migrants, which was moored at Portland Port, Dorset.

Some of those being deported held valid US residency permits, he said, but were nonetheless included on the deportation list, with their consent obtained for repatriation. The confirmation comes after the New York Times, citing unnamed officials in Tehran, said a plane carrying around 100 Iranians left Louisiana late on September 29 and was set to arrive in Iran via Qatar the following day.

The use of taxis to take asylum seekers from their hotels to appointments must be stopped, the prime minister has said. It comes after a BBC investigation into conditions inside asylum hotels found some migrants taking long journeys by cab, including one 250-mile visit to a GP costing 600. Sir Keir Starmer said people would be "very concerned" by this practice and repeated his commitment to end the use of hotels "as quickly as possible."