SHIP FOR BRAINS
Amber Rudd admits Home Office’s treatment of Windrush kids was ‘appalling’ as she faces calls to quit
The Home Secretary blasted her own officials for the confusion faced by Caribbean-born British citizens
HUMILIATED Home Secretary Amber Rudd issued a grovelling apology yesterday after admitting to the “appalling” treatment of so-called ‘Windrush’ era-immigrants.
In a day of chaos for the Government, the Tory rising star dropped all threats to deport or detain the children of some of the thousands of West Indians who came to Britain in the years after WWII.
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Incredibly, she admitted she had no idea if any of the Windrush generation had already been deported after being wrongly caught up in a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
And she attacked her own department by saying the Home Office had become too obsessed about “policy and strategy” at the expense of the individual.
In a furious Commons exchange, Ms Rudd said: “Frankly, some of the ways they have been treated has been wrong, has been appalling and I am sorry.”
The comments stunned MPs given her predecessor as Home Secretary was current PM, Theresa May.
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Why has the Windrush generation come under threat?
ANYONE who migrated to Britain from the Commonwealth before January 1, 1973 and has carried on living here since has the legal right to stay permanently.
But the Government failed to keep a record of who was living in Britain at the time - causing problems for them decades later.
They are all eligible for a UK passport, but some have chosen never to apply for one because they didn’t wish to travel abroad.
In the past few years, that has become an issue because of a Government crackdown on illegal immigration which means employers and landlords must check migrants’ paperwork to ensure they have the right to be in Britain.
Members of the Windrush generation can get a document proving they are here legally - at a cost of £229.
To acquire it, they must dig out paperwork such as payslips, energy bills or bank statements from each year they have lived in the UK.
It means that anyone who hasn’t kept a comprehensive archive of their documents could face difficulty in proving their right to stay.
It also marked a brutal slapdown for Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes who earlier appeared to say some had already been sent home in “horrendous” circumstances.
The apology followed an outcry from MPs over reports that Windrush-era children were facing deportation because of Home Office rules introduced four years ago to weed out illegal immigrants.
The rules require a migrant to produce documentary evidence of a right to be in the UK for every year of their stay.
But many Windrush descendents – named after the cruise ship that brought of the first large groups to Britain – don’t have the necessary proof.
Some have lost their homes, their jobs and their benefits. The Government first called upon to act in 2014.
Labour MP David Lammy said yesterday marked a day of “national shame” for the Government –and said Amber Rudd should consider her position.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservatives leader, backed The Sun’s call yesterday for the Government to “let them stay”. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid: “This should not happen to people who have been longstanding pillars of our community.”
Ms Rudd yesterday insisted a new dedicated taskforce would be set up to help Windrush immigrants “regularise” their stay free of charge.
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No.10 also insisted the PM would now meet Commonwealth heads of state to discuss the scandal – after initially snubbing a request.
Talks will take place on the margins of Commonwealth summit in London. An initial approach was made by the High Commissioner of St Kitts to the Foreign Office earlier this month – and was passed onto No.10 who said the PM didn’t have time.
As 140 MPs demanded action, the PM’s official spokesman said: “The first that the Prime Minister knew about any meeting was 6am this morning.
“The Prime Minister deeply values the contribution that is being made by (the Windrush immigrants). If there are problems that people have been put through, that clearly would be a matter of regret.”
Windrush generation who are told they're not true Brits
DOZENS of Caribbean-born British citizens say they have been unable to prove they have a right to live in the UK - leading to lost jobs, huge medical bills or even deportation.
One victim is 61-year-old Paulette Wilson, who moved to Britain from Jamaica as a child in 1968 and has lived here ever since.
Last year Paulette, who used to work in Parliament as a cook, was told by the Home Office she must leave the UK and taken to the notorious Yarl’s Wood detention centre.
After a week in custody, she was moved to Heathrow and was about to put on a plane to Jamaica - only to be saved by a last-minute intervention from her local MP, who pointed out there is no evidence she is an illegal immigrant.
Michael Braithwaite, 66, was born in Barbados but has lived in Britain since he was nine years old.
He worked as a teaching assistant in North London for 15 years, only to be told recently that he was being sacked because he can’t prove he has a legal right to stay in the country.
The Home Office has so far refused to confirm his right to live and work in the UK, making it impossible for him to get another job.
Hubert Howard, 61, has had trouble with the authorities for more than a decade because he was unable to prove his exact residence history.
He was just three when his family moved from Jamaica - but because he never filled out the right form, he’s never been granted the British passport he is eligible for.
As well as losing his job and benefits, Hubert couldn’t travel to Jamaica to be with his ill mother before she died.
Minister Caroline Nokes admits Windrush generation migrants have been deported from Britain
Are you a member of the Windrush generation and having problems proving your status? Get in touch with [email protected] or call 020 7782 4379 to share your story
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