Deportations anger
THE “UNACCEPTABLE” treatment of British residents from the Windrush generation who came to this country as children has been criticised by Jewish communal groups.
A number of those who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1971 have been told they will be considered illegal immigrants if they cannot provide documentary evidence of their citizenship.
Many have lived and worked in this country for decades.
Richard Verber, Board of Deputies senior vice-president, said there was “concern at reports that migrants who arrived from the Commonwealth as children many decades ago, may now face deportation.
“Like other migrant communities, Jews know what it is like to be treated as the ‘other’.
“The Windrush generation have contributed a great deal to Britain. We call on the government to swiftly secure the future of this community, which is undoubtedly part of the fabric of our nation.”
A representative for the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (Jcore) said the group had “watched with dismay the predicament
Richard Verber facing the children of the Windrush generation, whose parents came here to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.
“It is unacceptable that so many who have lived and worked here for decades have had to face the stress, anxiety and humiliation of losing their employment, accommodation and right to NHS care and the fear of being deported.”
Many of those who came to the UK as children with their parents believed they were British citizens – particularly as, when they arrived, the countries they came from were still British colonies.
However, over the last couple of years, some of those people have been told that unless they have documents to prove their citizenship, they are considered illegal immigrants, unable to continue working in the UK or receive NHS treatment, and could face deportation. On Monday, the Home Office admitted a number of people in these circumstances had already been deported to the Caribbean from the UK, with Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, describing the behaviour of her own government department as “appalling”.