First Minister urges review of Mhango family's deportation case

Published on Thursday 17 June 2010 23:17

ALEX Salmond has written to UK immigration minister Damian Green urging him to review the decision to deny asylum to Florence Mhango and her daughter, Precious, ten.

• Precious Mhango and her mother, Florence, who have settled in Glasgow, are fighting deportation to Malawi. Picture: Robert Perry

The mother and schoolgirl face deportation to Malawi after a High Court judge upheld a Home Office decision to have them removed from the UK.

Mr Salmond told MSPs he had written "particularly asking that it is time, and I think there's a huge consensus across Scottish society on this point, that they now review the case of Precious Mhango and her mother, Florence."

He is also concerned that, since the end of child detention at Dungavel, families are sent to Yarl's Wood, in Bedfordshire, where conditions are reportedly worse and they are further away from friends and support networks.

Florence Mhango, 32, who moved to Glasgow to escape an allegedly abusive marriage, welcomed the First Minister's intervention.

"It's something that is giving me hope," she said. "Hopefully, it will help us get a better result.

"We are just very frustrated at the moment"," she said. "Precious is really upset.

"I just want to continue living among my friends – I have made good friendships in Glasgow – and for my daughter to continue her education and her friendships here."

Precious's godmother, Chris Mercer, added: "This is a positive move for their benefit. It is something that we would expect of this (Scottish] Government.

"I'm lost for polite words to describe how I feel about it all. The judge said Precious had done well to integrate at school, and it seems like she's being punished for that.

"They've no idea of the psychological damage being done."

Florence and Precious were held in Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire last year, before moving to the facility in Yarl's Wood in anticipation of their deportation. However, they were granted a last-minute reprieve.

Precious, who lost about 10lb during her incarceration, wrote a three-page story about her experiences in custody. She called it Detention Day (D-Day) and wrote: "It (Dungavel] is a horrible place. No friends, no good fun and no smiles from my mum."

They were released from the detention centre shortly before Christmas after a high-profile campaign by Scottish politicians and residents in Glasgow's Cranhill area, where the family lives. Supporters are trying to raise 4,500 to cover the costs of establishing grounds for an appeal.

Anne McLaughlin, SNP MSP for Glasgow, who has campaigned on behalf of Florence and Precious, said: "The First Minister's statement is powerful support, and I welcome his and the Scottish Government's intervention.

"Precious is a young child who has made her home and her friends in Glasgow. She enjoys her school, is involved in the church and is well known in Cranhill where she and her mother live.

"She is like any ordinary Scottish schoolgirl – except she lives under the constant threat of detention by the Home Office.

"Living with the threat of detention and removal over them is damaging to Precious and Florence. The Home Office must confirm that they do not intend to detain Precious and Florence while their legal case continues, and I hope they will consent to review the case and to permanently lift the threat of deportation."