The United Kingdom Home Office has confirmed the deportation of 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians on a single flight, marking a record number of removals to these countries in one operation.
The deportation, carried out on Friday, comes following a reported “surge” in immigration enforcement efforts by the UK government.
Since Labour took office in July, 3,600 individuals have been deported to various nations, including around 200 to Brazil and 46 to Vietnam and Timor-Leste.
Regular deportation flights have also been operated to Albania, Lithuania, and Romania.
However, removals to Nigeria and Ghana are less common, with only four flights recorded since 2020, each carrying fewer passengers than the most recent flight.
Fizza Qureshi, chief executive of Migrants’ Rights Network, criticised the deportations, calling them “cruel” and highlighting the lack of legal support.
“In the words of one detainee: ‘The Home Office is playing politics with people’s lives. We have not done anything wrong other than cry for help,’” she said.
Meanwhile, any asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia, a British-controlled island, before the Chagos Islands treaty with Mauritius is finalised will be redirected to Saint Helena, one of the world’s most remote territories.
This development comes as 60 Tamils, stranded on Diego Garcia since 2021, await a legal ruling on their alleged unlawful detention.
On Friday, 647 people crossed the Channel in small boats, pushing the year’s total crossings past 28,000. This follows the tragic death of a baby off the coast of northern France the previous evening.