No fewer than 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians were deported from the UK on a single flight on Friday, the largest deportation recorded in recent years, according to the Home Office.
The mass removal is part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration and follows an intensification of the UK’s immigration enforcement under the new Labour government.
The UK Border Force has been granted enhanced powers to identify, detain, and deport illegal immigrants more efficiently.
The new rules stipulate that illegal immigrants found in the UK are subject to deportation orders.
The Home Office, who confirmed the deportation, told the Guardian UK on Friday evening that the Nigeria and Ghana deportations were part of a “major surge” in immigration enforcement and returns.
Since Labour came to power in July, 3,600 people have been returned to various countries, including about 200 to Brazil and 46 on a flight to Vietnam and Timor-Leste. There are also regular deportation flights to Albania, Lithuania and Romania.
According to data released under the Freedom of Information Act, deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana have been relatively infrequent, with only four recorded since 2020.
Prior flights saw much lower numbers of deportees, with six, seven, 16, and 21 people on board, respectively.
About four Nigerian deportees shared their distressing experiences to Guardian UK before the flight.
One Nigerian man, held at Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick, attempted suicide before being removed.
His cellmate, who witnessed the attempt, said he was “very traumatised” by what he had seen.
Others spoke of the trauma and despair of facing deportation after years of living in the UK.
One of the man told Guardian UK that he had been groomed into exploitation as a child and had torture scars on his body. “I told the Home Office I was a victim of trafficking. They rejected my claim.”
The other said; “I’ve been in the UK for 15 years as an asylum seeker. I have no criminal record but the Home Office has refused my claim.”
While the fourth man said he had desperately searched for a solicitor to challenge his removal directions, but had been unable to find anyone to represent him.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, with over 3,600 returned in the first two months of the new government.”
