New hope in Precious deportation fight

Published on Thursday 11 February 2010 22:04

CAMPAIGNERS last night welcomed the news a judicial review is to be held into the planned deportation of a ten-year-old Scots asylum seeker and her mother.

Precious Mhango and her mother Florence, 32, from Cranhill, Glasgow, were due to be flown back to Malawi in November but were released from Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire just days before Christmas.

A high-profile public campaign was launched to keep the pair – who had previously been held in Dungavel detention centre in Lanarkshire – in Scotland.

First Minister Alex Salmond backed campaigners saying the Scottish Government was fundamentally opposed to detaining children and to dawn raids.

Yesterday, the UK Border Agency said a full judicial review would be held. A date has yet to be set for the review.

SNP Glasgow MSP Anne McLaughlin, who is supporting the Mhangos who have lived in the UK for seven years, said: "They will now proceed to a full hearing and I am confident they can win that. However, I would now appeal in the strongest terms to the Home Secretary Alan Johnson and ask him not to put them through that.

"They've been through enough and I would encourage everyone to write to Alan Johnson and ask him to recognise this ruling and grant them leave to remain.

"There is a real risk that if they are deported Precious will be separated from her mother and taken from the family," she added.

Ms McLaughlin, who also lobbied the UK Immigration Minister Phil Woolas last year on the issue, said: "Precious is ten. She's been here nearly seven years. She's one of us and I don't believe it's asking too much to let her stay.

"We owe a debt of gratitude to Florence's advocate, Paul Chen, and barrister Nicholas O'Brien, who represented them in court.

"Florence and Precious are also extremely grateful to the thousands of ordinary people who've supported them."

"Earlier I spoke to Precious and I asked her how she was. She asked me to pass on a message to their supporters, which was, 'I'm so happy and grateful for the people who were helping me'."

Precious, who lost about ten pounds in weight during her incarceration in Yarl's Wood, wrote a three-page story called "Detention Day (D-Day)" about her experience.

She wrote: "It (Dungavel] is a horrible place. No friends, no good fun and no smiles from my mum." Referring to Yarl's Wood, she wrote: "That's the worst place in my life.

"I lost hope that we were going to go back to Glasgow. There was no more happiness in my life. I never stopped praying."

On her return to Glasgow she wrote: "I am so scared of the Home Office. I feel like I'm living in the darkness, I don't know when I'm going to see the light."

Sam Paterson, community (integration) development worker at the Cranhill Community Project, said: "There has been a big sigh of relief. This is a positive result but it is not over yet."

"Everyone here has been really genuinely concerned that they would be deported."

Mr Paterson said the judicial review announcement would give the community more time to raise funds to pay the Mhango's legal costs. The legal bill is likely to be more than 4,500, of which about 3,000 has been collected through donations and raffles.

Last weekend campaigners gave out Valentine cards in Glasgow city centre addressed to Mr Johnston, asking him to drop all Home Office objections to the Mhangos remaining in Scotland.