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Shock at treatment of Wrexham asylum seeker as family split up



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Published Date: 19 December 2008
AN ALGERIAN asylum seeker – who had been living in Caia Park, Wrexham – claims his basic human rights have been violated because he was prevented from saying goodbye to his family as they were flown out of the UK.
Farid Boumerdassi says he had been under the impression he was to fly out with his family yesterday morning after he and wife Samia, along with his three children, were told they were being deported.

However, just before they were due to leave, Samia and the children were taken to a different room – and that was the last Mr Boumerdassi saw of them.

Members of the Caia Park community in Wrexham have reacted with shock to the news of Mr Boumerdassi's treatment, with one describing events as "absolutely devastating".

Speaking to the Evening Leader from Tinsley House, the immigration removal centre located next to Gatwick Airport, a deeply upset Mr Boumerdassi said: "They took my family away without me being able to hug them or kiss them.

"We got up as normal, got our luggage ready. They took us to check out. There was one man who asked me to follow him. They took my wife to another room and that was the last I saw of them."

He added: "I thought they had arranged my travel documents, so we made ourselves ready and then they split us."

Mr Boumerdassi was not able to travel with them because his passport had expired. But he claims he was under the impression issues surrounding his travel documents had been resolved in time to fly.

He said: "It is against my basic human rights. It is dreadful, really dreadful. They should have told us what was happening. They should have said this is an option, if we don't get your documents we will send your wife and children on their own. But they didn't."

Members of the Caia Park community rallied around the family, who took part in numerous public events during their stay, including volunteer work with Communities First and the Caia Park Environmental Group.

They were described as "model citizens."

Dorothy Mitchell, chairwoman of the environmental group and a member of Wrexham Refugee and Asylum Seekers Supporters Group, said she was "absolutely devastated" with how events had unfolded.

She said: "I haven't been able to chat to anybody about it and find out why this has happened.

"When they deport people it doesn't normally come down to passports so I'm confused. It is awful to split the family up – my concern now is for the children and you can only imagine what they are going through."

A UK Border Agency spokesman said it could not comment on individual cases but confirmed Mrs Boumerdassi had left the country with her children while Mr Boumerdassi was still at Tinsley House.

He said: "We only seek to remove families who are in the UK unlawfully after all appeal rights have been used and the courts agree that they have no further right to remain in the UK.

"Of course whilst there is an outstanding right of appeal we will not pursue removal to ensure that the correct decision is made.

"Once all appeal rights are exhausted we would much rather that those here illegally left voluntarily. Sadly, some families choose not to do so even though they are given every opportunity to leave voluntarily. We then have a duty to enforce the law."

Leave a message of support for the Boumerdassi family by leaving a comment below


See also

>> Wrexham community's support for Algerian family facing deportation

>> Popular Algerian family living in Wrexham facing deportation

The full article contains 610 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 19 December 2008 9:17 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Wrexham
 
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The Speaker of Truth,

Wrexham 19/12/2008 10:05:18
Whilst I can sympathise that the man is being split from his family, as soon as his passport is renewed he will be following them. Many people are away from their families for long periods due to work commitments especially our serving soldiers so I am quite sure he will cope!

At the end of the day there is no war in Algeria and it is a developing emerging economy thanks to the natural oil reserves that country has. Therefore there is no reason to let these people stay, as for the persecution line that is a very tired argument doled out by everybody who wants to stay here. That said there are genuinely people in danger around the world and we should accept our fair share of them with open arms until the situation is safe for them to return to their homeland.

To put this familys three children through our state schools would cost in the region of £40,000 and that’s before any other childs benefits and use of the NHS etc. To pay back that £40k to the taxpayer he and his wife would have to work for over 10 years at average wage plus probably the same again to pay for NHS, dental, prescriptions etc. I can only shudder to think how much we have spent in laywers fees defending the case against letting them stay.£££££££

I am sure he’s a very amiable chap and may well have a charming wife and kids but we only have so much resource on this little island of ours and unless you are in immediate genuine danger we have to look after our own first.
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Evening Reader,

19/12/2008 10:16:45
'The Speaker of Truth' has hit the nail on the head really. We have to look after our own in what's becoming very difficult times.
In a previous article a spokesmanfor the Border and Immigration Agency said : "The Government has made it clear that people whose applications for asylum have been turned down, and have been found to not be at risk of harm or persecution upon return, will be removed from the UK when they have no legal right to be here.

"We consider every individual case with enormous care and whenever someone needs our protection we grant it. We only seek to remove families who are in the UK unlawfully when all appeal rights are exhausted and they have no further claim to remain in the UK.

"We would much rather families who have no lawful basis to stay in the UK left voluntarily, but many do not. It therefore becomes necessary to enforce their departure.

"Removals are always carried out sensitively, treating those being removed with courtesy and dignity."
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Geoffrey Boycott,

wrexham 19/12/2008 12:38:12
This is a sad case, although he should have been deported initially as he had no right to live here, two years is a long time and the family would be settled now. This pathetic publicity stunt is in stark contrast to the floods of eastern europeans coming over, since labour came to power the 2 million more jobs created have gone to foreigners. The number of britains in work is 72,000 less and counting. If the eu is so good for us, why do these eastern europeans want to leave it to come to the uk?
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Evening Reader,

19/12/2008 14:04:47
re EU

People want to come to the UK because of the benefits available, and a reasonable standard of health care on the NHS.
Sadly the UK was not equipped for the mass influx when the EU borders came down. Wrexham being a prime example. 25,000 Polish workers alone in less than 4 years was far greater than anyone expected.
Tony Blair was and still is in favour of letting Turkey join the EU. With Turkey having a population of approximately 64million,if this becomes a reality, the prospect is truly frightening
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Myth Busta,

Wrexham 20/12/2008 15:46:37
to 'The Speaker of the Truth' whilst it may be true that there is no 'war'in Algeria, there is however regular and well documented persecution of anyone who criticises the government including a recent sentence of 9 yrs imprisonment for a cartoonist who published a satirical cartoon of the President. So, in answer to your final point, his wife due to her criticism of government officials was in 'immediate genuine danger' that's why they saught sanctuary here in the UK.

to 'Evening Reader' what's your point? You quote a Borders and Immigration Agency official as saying "Removals are always carried out sensitively, treating those being removed with courtesy and dignity." clearly this has not been done on this case, not much sensitivity involved in leading a family to believe they will leave together then seperating them leaving them unsure of what is happening. You then go on to mention the influx of Polish workers into the town, the 25,000 involved seem to me to have been absorbed into the town, they are working in factories and paying taxes like the rest of us,so what's your point they are not wanted because they are Polish?
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Myth Busta,

Wrexham 20/12/2008 15:49:44
Caia Park has come out of this positively, a number of residents have expressed support for the family, how refreshing, we've moved on from the reported isues with Asylum Seekers a few years ago.
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idwal,

rhosymedre 20/12/2008 17:40:40
We have one world,and we have the resourcces to feed and house every last single person on the planet.
What has happened to this man and his family is just disgusting.
The delusional "speaker of the truth" would do well to educate himself in the way our economic systems works to benefit a small minority of rich people whilst the rest of us are hung out to dry.
The earth's resources are not finite but the economic thinking that dominates world government is that the the earth's resources are infinite.
We need a completely new way of thinking,but first and foremost we need to start with people.
This worlds belongs to no one person and the quicker we all realise that the better for the worlds resources and for humanity
Iddy
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Evening Reader,

21/12/2008 10:41:13
re Myth Busta

My post is crystal clear so please don't try and suggest any different. Firstly there's a quote from the Border and Immigration Agency regarding this case. Secondly I answered Geoffrey Boycott's question as to why the UK is (or was before the recession)so attractive to immigrant workers within the EU.

Myth Busta. What did you expect the Border and Immigration Agency to do on the family's departure? Give them a bunch of flowers or a family ticket to Alton Towers next time they visit the UK? They have gone through the long-winded process and been deemed bogus asylum seekers.

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Myth Busta,

Wrexham 21/12/2008 12:36:19
re Evening Reader

you ask 'What did you expect the Border and Immigration Agency to do on the family's departure?' No, not flowers or family tickets to Alton Towers, just for the family to be treated with dignity and compassion as, in fact the BIA claim to do in these cases. If, as been reported elsewhere, the father was to be removed the next day, what is the problem in holding the family together so tht they can travel together.
As for 'the long-winded process and been deemed bogus asylum seekers' of course the UK has never got it wrong and sent people back into danger have they? Mistakes are made and if there is a chance of a families lives being in danger then isn't it far better to err on the side of caution than place three innocent children of 11,9 and 6 in danger?
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Evening Reader,

21/12/2008 14:37:11
I obviously can’t comment on the policies that the Border and Immigration Agency implement. You would have to take up the issue of why Mr Boumerdassi’s expired passport was not renewed with his solicitor - the various appeals process lasted two-years – and I’m sure all parties concerned knew the protocol.
Deportation is never going to be a pleasant affair for a family which sought a better quality of life from that of their natural homeland.
Every country has border, immigration and passport control for obvious reasons and the UK is no different.
The Border and Immigration Agency’s made the UK’s stance on non bona fide application for asylum very clear in a previous article:-

"The Government has made it clear that people whose applications for asylum have been turned down, and have been found to not be at risk of harm or persecution upon return, will be removed from the UK when they have no legal right to be here.

"We consider every individual case with enormous care and whenever someone needs our protection we grant it. We only seek to remove families who are in the UK unlawfully when all appeal rights are exhausted and they have no further claim to remain in the UK.

"We would much rather families who have no lawful basis to stay in the UK left voluntarily, but many do not. It therefore becomes necessary to enforce their departure.”
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