The UK Windrush Saga.

This is a fiasco that has been playing somewhat havoc with our current Government and its toughened somewhat immigration's policy.
Some of these good folk have lived here in the UK for over 50 years and some or maybe their children have been having frightening times..

The British troopship HMT Empire Windrush anchored at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 21 June 1948 carrying hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean hoping for a new life in Britain - alongside hundreds from elsewhere. Who were they? The former passenger liner's journey up the Thames on that misty June day is now regarded as the symbolic starting point of a wave of Caribbean migration between 1948 and 1971 known as the "Windrush generation". Many were enticed to cross the Atlantic by job opportunities amid the UK's post-war labour shortage. But, despite living and working in the UK for decades, it has emerged that some of the families of these Windrush migrants have been threatened with deportation, denied access to NHS treatment, benefits and pensions and stripped of their jobs. The UK government has been forced to apologise and offer compensation.

www.bbc.co.uk...

The Home Office, when Theresa May was home secretary, developed what they called “a hostile environment” for illegal immigrants within the UK from 2010. This was designed to find and deport those who weren’t legally entitled to be here. Members of the Windrush generation are perfectly entitled to be in the UK. They were called here by our Government at the time. However, some of the Windrush generation have been threatened with deportation if they couldn’t legally prove their right to be in the UK.

Some have left the UK to visit relatives abroad and have not be allowed back in. The Home Office lost, misplaced or may even have shredded, the landing cards given to all Windrush individuals as they came off the boats after the war. These documents would have acted as legal paperwork to prove the generation’s right to remain in the UK legally. MPs and political commentators are blaming Theresa May’s “hostile environment” for the mistakes and the upset caused – including the separation of many families across the UK.

www.guardian-series.co.uk...

You can't just blame this government. Just about every other country maintains a folk registry (like Norway) which maintains a simple record of the immigration status of every person, their details and current address.

But the British establishment will always bend existing legislation and systems to new uses:

news.bbc.co.uk...

Labour wanted to introduce a national ID card:

www.theguardian.com...

But later had to backtrack when the danger of a super-database being formed by combining together every government computer system was realized:

www.telegraph.co.uk...

" An Identity and Passport spokesman said: "The Government is committed to introducing ID cards, which will provide the public with a single, simple and secure way for individuals to prove their identity and safeguard their personal details - protecting the community against crime, illegal immigration, and terrorism.

"The Home Secretary already announced last year that as the National Identity Service rolls out in 2011/12 we will be offering British citizens the choice of having an identity card, a passport or both."

www.aboutidentitytheft.co.uk...

The Catch-22 situation was if you weren't registered as a British citizen, you wouldn't be informed of this. While the immigration lawyers were busy running adverts late at night for anyone in the country illegally to "normalize" their immigration status, they weren't interested in Windrush immigrants.

It's sickening. These people went to schools,. had medical care, were registered with GP's had jobs, paid taxes (You try being working class and not paying taxes) And the government idiots in charge can't decide if they are British? Course they can, and further more, a 60 year old Jamaican who has lived here since the 60's will look and sound nothing like some Somali chancer hopping off a train from Calais.

It's a disgusting way to treat people and the civil servants who failed these folks ought to resign, because they plainly don't have a sliver of moral courage in their worthless hides.

a reply to: skywatcher44

How many people are affected by this? I would think most people that come over in a post WW2 labor shortage would be dead now, or at least well established. Their children and grandchildren should have birth certificates and other documentation. How long did this Windrush program go on? I don't think the UK was has still having a labor shortage in the '70s.

a reply to: stormcell

You can't just blame this government.

As I understand it the decision to destroy the landing cards which would prove their right to stay was taken in 2010 when Theresa May was home secretary so in a way we can blame this government as she is now at the head of it , she tried to shift the blame on to the Labour party but it was the Cameron Tory government of which she was part who did the deed.

I think AMW puts it succinctly and gets to the point. As ever, it's government incompetence followed by gratuitous finger pointing. They are gutless. However, most of the passengers are probably deceased so how many are actually claiming to be victimise by all this?
Compensation culture for more of the 'offended'.
altnewsmedia.net...

a reply to: Fermy


It affects mainly, the children who came over in the late 60's So conceivable a lot of people are still alive.

originally posted by: gortex
As I understand it the decision to destroy the landing cards which would prove their right to stay was taken in 2010 when Theresa May was home secretary

Just to fact-check you. The decision was made in 2009 under Labour and enacted under the Cons/Lib coalition in 2010. Here's a useful time line... Channel 4 This fact was also reported in the Parliament, so unsure why you are still touting an untruth.

Up until now the many in the Windrush generation have not sought UK citizenship, having lived in the UK for decades. Now that issue is being addressed and those who want UK nationality will get it.

While I am pleased we are now sorting out these long-standing issues, this should not distract from the fact that there are a large number of illegal immigrants in the UK who need to be removed.

a reply to: paraphi

While I am pleased we are now sorting out these long-standing issues, this should not distract from the fact that there are a large number of illegal immigrants in the UK who need to be removed.

I agree but those with the right to stay should be allowed to stay , interesting to see that Alan Johnson also disavows himself of an important decision gone wrong as Rudd is now doing , typical politicians.

originally posted by: gortex
I agree but those with the right to stay should be allowed to stay ,

I don't think anyone is disputing that, even the Home Secretary. The problem with immigration is it becomes so divisive. Those who came over aka the Windrush crowd, will be allowed to stay, and should apply for British citizenship.

Too long the UK has been lax and not taken illegal immigration seriously. Sadly this was the case under the last Labour government. The current faff around targets for deportations is a good case in point and reveals the problem in politics - in that some MPs are unable to understand the world and how to manage problems.

They ask you to come, because they need you(at that time).
Then they use you till they don´t need you anymore.
Then they kick you in the next bin.

They would even kick huge numbers of the own population into the next bin, but that is not so easy, because the own citizens(slaves) are not "Scheiss Ausländers"...

originally posted by: paraphi

originally posted by: gortex
I agree but those with the right to stay should be allowed to stay ,

I don't think anyone is disputing that, even the Home Secretary. The problem with immigration is it becomes so divisive. Those who came over aka the Windrush crowd, will be allowed to stay, and should apply for British citizenship.

Too long the UK has been lax and not taken illegal immigration seriously. Sadly this was the case under the last Labour government. The current faff around targets for deportations is a good case in point and reveals the problem in politics - in that some MPs are unable to understand the world and how to manage problems.

It was convenient for the governments in the past. People from Commonwealth countries could have relatives come across and stay without hassle from government visa paperwork. Government didn't have to keep track of the immigration status of millions. One they start having rising crime and backlane sheds-to-let in the London inner cities and terrorist attacks then they have to start deporting. The authorities also hoped they would stay as long as they were needed then go back to their home countries. With London becoming ever increasing Islamic I do wonder whether they weren't trying to kick out Christians.

originally posted by: DerBeobachter
They ask you to come, because they need you(at that time).
Then they use you till they don´t need you anymore.
Then they kick you in the next bin.

:

Oh it's just unreal DerBeobachter. This lot as you said were asked to come, we'd just not got enough blokes after losing so many in WW2 to death or long term injury. They helped rebuild Great Britain. The West Indians were asked to come to the motherland being part of what was the British Empire, they didn't break in like so many do today, they were actually needed and invited. God knows what it's like to be one of their people today, I mean their own former location in the Caribbean is kind of fake because we enslaved their descendants and forced them there to work as slaves. They've had it bad real bad for hundreds of years and then this today, hard to believe. Poor buggers slaved in one way or another for Britain to this day and still treated badly.............................. Unbelievable

a reply to: skywatcher44

What exactly is the Home Secretary? I've heard the title many times, obviously, but I don't think I've ever heard what exactly is their responsibility?

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: skywatcher44

What exactly is the Home Secretary? I've heard the title many times, obviously, but I don't think I've ever heard what exactly is their responsibility?

I don't think there is a direct US equivalent. One of the big 3 cabinet posts. covers policing and immigration mainly.

Hell, this might affect my niece whos grandparents came from Jamaica. What gets me is if they have been here a long time working they would have had a national insurance number. That would prove, from the time they started work, how long they have been in the country.
Why they are just putting everyone in the same category when there are multiple ways to show how long one has been in the country. The problem comes with the fresh influx of scroungers lying about their national identity and how long they have been here.

a reply to: skywatcher44

As a Brit I am ashamed of the way we have allowed these people to be treated.

What baffles me here, truly, is the "...it has emerged" in the lead piece.

"Emerged"?

I saw one of these people, a Painter and Decorator who had lived here and paid tax here for 40+ years, on the 'Good Morning Britain' TV show.

He had been held in a Detention Center for two years. TWO YEARS. Nothing in the paper about that one at the time.

Where was the noise? The howls of complaint? Did anyone raise a flag about this previously? If not, why not?

Well the S has hit the fan and in the end this could well bring the current rightish UK government down along with our BREXIT.
A good politican IMHO Amber Rudd has now resigned as our Home Secretary a top cabinet appointment.
G forbid we could end up with a Russian Stooge in charge of our great country. Mr Corblimey.

The home secretary Amber Rudd has resigned, saying she "inadvertently misled" MPs over targets for removing illegal immigrants. Ms Rudd, who was due to make a Commons statement on Monday, was under pressure to quit over the Windrush scandal. She faced criticism over the existence of Home Office removals targets and her knowledge of them. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, who had repeatedly urged Ms Rudd to go, said she had "done the right thing". Ms Abbott added that the "architect of this crisis" - Theresa May - must come before the Commons to explain "whether she knew that Amber Rudd was misleading Parliament and the public last week". On Sunday, the Guardian published the full letter it had reported on a week earlier, in which Ms Rudd set out her "ambitious but deliverable" aim to deport 10% more illegal immigrants over the "next few years" to Theresa May. Ms Rudd telephoned the prime minister on Sunday evening to tell her of the decision amid intensifying opposition demands for her to quit. In her resignation letter, Ms Rudd said she takes "full responsibility" for the fact she was not aware of "information provided to (her) office which makes mention of targets". Mrs May said she was "very sorry" to see Ms Rudd leave the Home Office and she should "take great pride" in what she has achieved.

www.bbc.co.uk...

a reply to: skywatcher44

The whole Windrush debacle has expanded to include every current political grievance over immigration. I heard (on the radio) a call for a comprehensive amnesty on illegal immigrants to allow them all to get auto-citizenship, on the basis that getting them removed from the UK was (er) confrontational.

There's thought to be 500K to 1M illegal immigrants in the UK. The number of people impacted by Windrush is very small and they are being dealt with.