Deportation – a permanent exile

In Britain in the 1800s convicts were held on prison ships before being exiled to America and Australia. You might be surprised to learn that something similar is going on in the UK today. Since 2008, any foreign national sentenced to 12 months or longer faces automatic deportation, even if they are here legally and, in many cases, have indefinite leave to remain, regardless of the length of time they have lived in the UK, nor the private and family life that they have established here. Until 2013, legal aid was available for people caught up in this nightmarish scenario to argue that deportation would be disproportionate and a breach of their right to a private and family life. Since 2013, however, deportation was removed from the scope of legal aid, leaving thousands of “foreign national” former offenders facing exile to countries many have no ties to, and leaving British partners and children behind.

Join us on Thursday 19th April at 6 pm at BPP University Law School (The Auditorium, BPP University Law School, 68-70 Red Lion Street, London, WC1R 4NY) for a panel discussion on detention and deportation in the UK today. We’ll be talking about the hidden scandal of deportation, how foreign nationals are criminalised and denied access to justice and just what this aspect of the Government’s ‘hostile environment’ really means in practice.

This event is held in conjunction with BPP Human Rights Unit. The purpose of the Human Rights Unit is to raise awareness among BPP students of human rights and the way in which they have an impact on the practice of law in the UK. They have various projects with human rights organisations and seek to provide opportunities for students to contribute their skills and knowledge to the human rights community. They also organise regular events on human rights issues and publish the BPP Human Rights Law Journal (‘HRLJ’)

List of Speakers

Celia Clarke – Director at Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID)
Celia has been the Director of BID for more than twelve years. In that time she has seen the use of detention increase significantly, the increase in the detention of vulnerable people, and the introduction of the “hostile environment”. On the other hand, the government agreed to limit the detention of children to 72 hours, and closed four detention centres.

Victor Michael – Humanitarian
Victor is a Biomedical Science graduate who has lived in the UK since 2004. He has undertaken academic studies as well as voluntary and paid work, including 7 years working in the NHS for UCL, GOSH and NELFT in that time and from 2004 until 2015 was a UK taxpayer. His world was turned upside down when he paid a bogus solicitor to deal with his immigration affairs. He ended up being convicted for working illegally. He was detained post-sentence and is now facing deportation.

Luke de Noronha – DPhil Candidate in Anthropology (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford and Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck College
Luke is a DPhil student in Anthropology and an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London. His main research interest is in deportation, particularly of ex-offenders from the UK. His doctoral research examines the deportation of ex-offenders from the UK to Jamaica, exploring the lives of deportees in Jamaica as well as their friends and families who remain in the UK.

Agata Patyna – Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers
Agata regularly appears in appeals and judicial review hearings before the First-Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal in asylum and human rights, deportation, entry clearance and variation of leave cases, as well as bail applications. Agata has experience working with vulnerable clients, including victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Agata has particular expertise in immigration matters involving EEA nationals and their family members, especially in the context of misuse of rights and decisions taken on grounds of public policy and security and has considerable experience in emergency work, including out of hours applications for a stay on removal. She often acts in cases involving complex mental health issues. With an additional background in family law, she is well-placed to assist clients whose cases involve both immigration and family law issues.