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Concerns Grow Over Recent Mass Deportations of Brazilians from the UK

Since the Labour government assumed power, over 600 Brazilians, including 109 children, have been quietly deported from the United Kingdom on three of the largest Home Office deportation charter flights ever recorded. This information has emerged from sources, including the Observer.

The Home Office’s actions to remove such significant numbers of individuals from a single nationality on individual flights mark a new precedent. Notably, the inclusion of children on these flights represents an unprecedented occurrence.

Records obtained through freedom of information requests indicate that the three deportation flights took place on August 9, August 23, and September 27. On these dates, 205 individuals (including 43 children), 206 individuals (including 30 children), and 218 individuals (including 36 children) were expelled, respectively. All the children deported were part of family units, many of whom had established their lives and education in the UK.

The removals were categorized as voluntary returns, likely involving individuals who had overstayed their visas. To encourage voluntary departure, the Home Office offers financial incentives of up to £3,000, which can extend to infants and children. This assistance is dispensed through pre-loaded cards that activate upon arrival in Brazil.

The government is actively promoting its deportation accomplishments, with recent statistics revealing that between July and September 2024, there were 8,308 enforced and voluntary returns—16% more than the same period in the previous year. Of these returns, the majority—6,247—were classified as voluntary, demonstrating a 12% increase in this category compared to 2023. However, the government has not highlighted that these significant deportation flights were directed to Brazil.

Latin American advocacy groups have voiced their concerns regarding the Home Office’s ability to orchestrate such large-scale removals of a single nationality, particularly involving an unprecedented number of children likely to be integrated into local schools.

The Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK has expressed deep apprehension over the rise in voluntary returns of Brazilians. They highlighted the challenges faced by this community, particularly in accessing credible information and legal assistance in their native language. Many Brazilian migrants entered the UK via EU countries, but recent changes to post-Brexit immigration policies have left many vulnerable, particularly women at risk of gender-based violence.

“These women are often controlled by abusive partners who exploit their British or EU passports, leaving them without a safe path to escape,” said the coalition.

In one poignant case, a woman seeking refuge from domestic violence, accompanied by her two sons (one of whom has special educational needs), found herself moving between multiple hotels while being denied the Migrant Victim of Domestic Abuse Concession. This concession, intended to offer protection to those fleeing domestic violence, would have allowed her to remain in the UK, but she was ultimately compelled to return to Brazil.

The extent to which individuals on these flights may have been reluctant to return to Brazil due to safety concerns remains unclear.

The coalition members reiterated the necessity for the government to consider pathways towards citizenship and settlement for communities deeply rooted in the UK.

A spokesperson for the Home Office claimed, “We are executing our strategy to increase the removal of individuals without legal rights to remain in the UK, with the expulsion of foreign offenders and unsuccessful asylum seekers reaching the highest levels seen in five years. This approach will help reduce our reliance on hotel accommodations and cut costs, potentially saving up to £4 billion over the next two years.”

Source
www.theguardian.com