Don't Deport Me, I'm British

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0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

0:00:06 > 0:00:08Every year, thousands of children travel to Britain

0:00:08 > 0:00:10from poor countries, seeking new lives.

0:00:10 > 0:00:13The Government allows some to stay till they're 18,

0:00:13 > 0:00:14and grow up British.

0:00:14 > 0:00:18Everything in me is the British culture.

0:00:18 > 0:00:20But once they become adults,

0:00:20 > 0:00:22they face deportation back to where they were born.

0:00:27 > 0:00:30For six months, I followed three young men

0:00:30 > 0:00:32whose lives are in turmoil.

0:00:36 > 0:00:38Fucking dickhead. Shut your mouth.

0:00:40 > 0:00:43The Government has ordered them back to countries

0:00:43 > 0:00:45they've not been to for years...

0:00:51 > 0:00:54..in some cases, to dangerous and war-torn places.

0:01:02 > 0:01:06But some were sent to the UK by their families to earn a living.

0:01:10 > 0:01:13Others have broken the law in Britain.

0:01:16 > 0:01:18So the big question is,

0:01:18 > 0:01:21when is it fair for the Government to deport them?

0:01:43 > 0:01:45Come on, then, Bash, make a wish.

0:01:45 > 0:01:48My wish is to stay in this country.

0:01:48 > 0:01:50Live my life with my family,

0:01:50 > 0:01:54make my own future with my beautiful girlfriend.

0:01:54 > 0:01:56That's what is my big wish,

0:01:56 > 0:01:58that the Home Office can let me stay in the UK.

0:02:00 > 0:02:03That's what I've been waiting for nearly ten years,

0:02:03 > 0:02:05so, hopefully, my wish comes true.

0:02:06 > 0:02:10Put it on the bottom. Some more can go on the bottom there, can't they?

0:02:10 > 0:02:12I first met Bash last Christmas

0:02:12 > 0:02:15at his girlfriend Nicole's house, where he lives.

0:02:16 > 0:02:20He'd recently been arrested and sent to an immigration detention centre.

0:02:22 > 0:02:24Suddenly everything just changed with a click.

0:02:26 > 0:02:28- Literally.- Yeah.

0:02:30 > 0:02:31It's just not fair,

0:02:31 > 0:02:34what they're putting families through.

0:02:34 > 0:02:39No-one should have to go through what Bash has been through...

0:02:42 > 0:02:44..over the past two months.

0:02:45 > 0:02:47This one, such a beautiful...

0:02:47 > 0:02:51We never, ever thought that there would be a time I'd get arrested

0:02:51 > 0:02:55and they'd hand me a ticket and say, "Go back to Afghanistan."

0:03:00 > 0:03:01Believe in a better life.

0:03:04 > 0:03:07Believe in a better future. A good future.

0:03:08 > 0:03:11The reason they tell me to go back to Afghanistan is

0:03:11 > 0:03:13Afghanistan is safe for me. How could it be safe for me?

0:03:14 > 0:03:18Going back after ten years and there is still a war going on?

0:03:18 > 0:03:20No-one wants to say something like,

0:03:20 > 0:03:24"This is the last time you could spend time with your boyfriend."

0:03:28 > 0:03:30HE SIGHS

0:03:37 > 0:03:39Come here.

0:03:52 > 0:03:53It's just painful.

0:03:56 > 0:03:59That's why I keep things inside my heart all the time.

0:04:01 > 0:04:03And I can't cope with it.

0:04:03 > 0:04:07Sometimes I feel it's just the end of everything.

0:04:08 > 0:04:09Everything.

0:04:15 > 0:04:17The Home Office is arguing that it's safe for him

0:04:17 > 0:04:19to return to Afghanistan.

0:04:22 > 0:04:26But Bash has terrible memories of what the Taliban did to his father

0:04:26 > 0:04:27when he was just nine.

0:04:30 > 0:04:35A group of people came to our house and explained that the Taliban

0:04:35 > 0:04:39wanted my father to work for them, but my father said no,

0:04:39 > 0:04:41because he was in the Afghani army.

0:04:43 > 0:04:47When I went outside to take some food for my dad,

0:04:47 > 0:04:50seeing him laying down there, shot dead.

0:04:53 > 0:04:55And I thought, "No, he's just sleeping."

0:04:57 > 0:05:01But in front of my eyes, seeing my father get shot.

0:05:01 > 0:05:03No, I cannot forget that.

0:05:09 > 0:05:11And when I picked him up and held him...

0:05:13 > 0:05:14..it's like...

0:05:16 > 0:05:19..he's smiling at me, but he's not talking.

0:05:19 > 0:05:21He's not saying anything.

0:05:21 > 0:05:23He's not...

0:05:34 > 0:05:39Bash says his mum sold the family land so she could pay traffickers

0:05:39 > 0:05:43to smuggle her only surviving child to safety in Britain.

0:05:47 > 0:05:53The Government places most unaccompanied asylum-seeking children into foster care.

0:05:56 > 0:06:00- Hello!- Hello, Mum. OK? - Yeah, how about you?

0:06:00 > 0:06:02- All right?- I'm good, yeah.

0:06:02 > 0:06:04All right, lovely?

0:06:04 > 0:06:08Bash lived with his foster mum Dawn for close to seven years.

0:06:08 > 0:06:09Merry Christmas.

0:06:13 > 0:06:14May we see the pictures, Mam?

0:06:17 > 0:06:20Can you believe that? And look at this face in that one.

0:06:20 > 0:06:22It's crazy when you look at this picture.

0:06:22 > 0:06:24It's sad. Scared.

0:06:26 > 0:06:28Couldn't speak English.

0:06:28 > 0:06:31It doesn't seem like ten years ago.

0:06:34 > 0:06:37Do you remember when I came and you was laying down in the garden?

0:06:37 > 0:06:40I was in the bikini, and I said to him,

0:06:40 > 0:06:43I said, "This is my garden, Bash. This is what we do.

0:06:43 > 0:06:46"Women go out in their back gardens and they sunbathe."

0:06:46 > 0:06:49He says, "But you can't do that, you've got to dress," you know?

0:06:49 > 0:06:52I said, "No, the sun is out, I'm sunbathing."

0:06:52 > 0:06:54It was quite funny.

0:06:55 > 0:06:58The first five years, we thought we were going to get you a passport.

0:06:58 > 0:07:02But then, after five years, everything changed.

0:07:02 > 0:07:06And then a few months ago, just hit rock bottom.

0:07:06 > 0:07:08- Couldn't get any worse.- No.

0:07:29 > 0:07:31- You all right? - Yeah, just feeling a bit nervous.

0:07:33 > 0:07:36When people like Bash turn 17-and-a-half,

0:07:36 > 0:07:39the Home Office starts the process of removing them

0:07:39 > 0:07:41back to their home countries,

0:07:41 > 0:07:45unless they can prove why they should stay.

0:07:45 > 0:07:49Bash's lawyer is aiming to prove that he's become too Westernised

0:07:49 > 0:07:52to live safely in Afghanistan.

0:07:52 > 0:07:54An expert in Afghani culture

0:07:54 > 0:07:58is going to test Bash's native language skills.

0:07:58 > 0:08:02The thing is with me, I can't speak fluently.

0:08:02 > 0:08:06It doesn't matter whether you can speak fluently or not.

0:08:06 > 0:08:09The point is that you need to try.

0:08:12 > 0:08:14IN DARI:

0:08:57 > 0:09:00- ENGLISH: I will get it. - I want to achieve this.

0:09:00 > 0:09:03That's how confident I am now with my case,

0:09:03 > 0:09:06because I have one of the best solicitors with me.

0:09:06 > 0:09:08Especially you, as Afghani expert.

0:09:09 > 0:09:10- All the best.- Thank you.

0:09:13 > 0:09:15Back in Afghanistan, they would straightaway be questioned

0:09:15 > 0:09:17where they come from.

0:09:17 > 0:09:22If you're not able to speak Dari or Pashto, you cannot use Arabic words.

0:09:22 > 0:09:26A lot of time, you hear that somebody was kidnapped

0:09:26 > 0:09:29and his family was asked for this amount of money, a ransom.

0:09:31 > 0:09:32That could be one of the risks.

0:09:40 > 0:09:42In the last ten years,

0:09:42 > 0:09:47the Home Office has deported over 3,800 young people like Bash,

0:09:47 > 0:09:51who arrived in the UK as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

0:09:55 > 0:09:58Potential deportees are often held

0:09:58 > 0:10:01in one of 11 immigration detention centres.

0:10:07 > 0:10:12After weeks, months, sometimes years behind bars,

0:10:12 > 0:10:14they're placed on flights out of the country.

0:10:15 > 0:10:18Everyone is in cuffs on the coaches.

0:10:20 > 0:10:25Imagine how you feel - chains on your legs, chains on your arms,

0:10:25 > 0:10:27taken from your family,

0:10:27 > 0:10:29like, the only family you've known your whole life...

0:10:31 > 0:10:36..and just disappearing from that. How would you feel?

0:10:43 > 0:10:46People try to do their things to avoid their flights and all that.

0:10:46 > 0:10:51Try to jump off railings with ropes round their necks.

0:10:51 > 0:10:56That's how much people want to avoid coming back,

0:10:56 > 0:10:59because you're just destroying your whole life,

0:10:59 > 0:11:00especially the ones my age.

0:11:04 > 0:11:09In March, 22-year-old Francois and 31 other deportees

0:11:09 > 0:11:11were put onto this specially chartered flight.

0:11:14 > 0:11:18It was headed for where they were born - Jamaica.

0:11:29 > 0:11:32One week into his new life in the Jamaican countryside,

0:11:32 > 0:11:34and Francois is struggling to cope.

0:11:37 > 0:11:39This is far from home!

0:11:42 > 0:11:44Home is England. That's my home, London.

0:11:47 > 0:11:48That's where I grew up, innit?

0:11:50 > 0:11:55No-one who's gone there at a young age deserves to leave, regardless.

0:11:56 > 0:11:59Cos we're basically British, as much as they are.

0:12:01 > 0:12:04Francois moved to England when he was just seven.

0:12:05 > 0:12:07His aunt brought him over

0:12:07 > 0:12:10because he was abandoned by his parents in Jamaica.

0:12:12 > 0:12:16The Home Office allowed him to stay in the UK until he was 18.

0:12:21 > 0:12:23He lived mostly in Neasden, north-west London,

0:12:23 > 0:12:25with his auntie Karen.

0:13:27 > 0:13:30Aged 18, Francois became a dad.

0:13:31 > 0:13:35He stopped living with his son, but still looked after him regularly.

0:13:37 > 0:13:41Next week's my son's birthday and it's got me stressed that

0:13:41 > 0:13:44he's going to be four and I'm not going to be there

0:13:44 > 0:13:45to see him turn four.

0:13:52 > 0:13:55I've never missed none of his birthdays in my life...

0:13:55 > 0:13:56in HIS life.

0:14:00 > 0:14:03So he's going to turn four without me because of immigration.

0:14:13 > 0:14:16After 15 years away from Jamaica,

0:14:16 > 0:14:21Francois has had to move in with family he barely knows...

0:14:21 > 0:14:23What are you lot doing? Get out, man.

0:14:23 > 0:14:24INDISTINCT

0:14:24 > 0:14:26Hold that and get out, man.

0:14:30 > 0:14:33..including his mum, who left him when he was four.

0:14:50 > 0:14:51SHE CHUCKLES

0:15:19 > 0:15:21When he was 18,

0:15:21 > 0:15:24Francois was involved in a mass brawl with football fans in London.

0:15:27 > 0:15:29Although he was acquitted of violent disorder,

0:15:29 > 0:15:33the Home Office looked more closely at his record of behaviour.

0:15:33 > 0:15:36They decided not to extend his right to stay.

0:15:42 > 0:15:43This is...

0:15:45 > 0:15:48..like being in a murder case, you get all the evidence.

0:15:50 > 0:15:53The evidence to take me away from my family.

0:15:56 > 0:16:00I didn't know they could actually force you out with paperwork!

0:16:03 > 0:16:07The Home Office argued that Francois' four criminal convictions

0:16:07 > 0:16:09and frequent brushes with the law

0:16:09 > 0:16:13outweighed his right to stay as a parent.

0:16:13 > 0:16:17They're saying my history began as a juvenile,

0:16:17 > 0:16:20convicted for robbery in 2009,

0:16:20 > 0:16:23actual bodily harm in 2010...

0:16:25 > 0:16:29..and two thousand and... possession of A-class

0:16:29 > 0:16:33and assault on a constable in 2013.

0:16:36 > 0:16:37Tell me about those briefly.

0:16:39 > 0:16:43It's basically saying that all my offences was when I was a juvenile.

0:16:47 > 0:16:48But you did have cocaine on you?

0:16:48 > 0:16:50Yeah, I pled guilty to possession.

0:16:53 > 0:16:55But it weren't no large amount.

0:16:57 > 0:16:58I'm not Pablo Escobar!

0:17:00 > 0:17:03Francois has never served a jail sentence.

0:17:03 > 0:17:07He believes he was unfairly targeted by a special Home Office operation

0:17:07 > 0:17:11set up to increase deportations of dangerous foreign criminals.

0:17:14 > 0:17:16This meant his charge of violent disorder

0:17:16 > 0:17:18could be used as part of the case to remove him.

0:17:19 > 0:17:22Violent disorder was dismissed against me.

0:17:22 > 0:17:24How does that make you a criminal?

0:17:26 > 0:17:30Francois believes that some of the traces of him on police records

0:17:30 > 0:17:33were unfairly used to argue the case for his removal.

0:17:35 > 0:17:41"Mr Summers was stopped by police 32 times in a three-year period

0:17:41 > 0:17:44"in his local area."

0:17:44 > 0:17:47In their language, you get stopped 32 times for being black

0:17:47 > 0:17:51and wearing a tracksuit. Come on, Neasden.

0:17:51 > 0:17:53You're from Neasden and you're black, you're wearing a tracksuit,

0:17:53 > 0:17:57you're going to jail. Or you're getting stopped 32 times.

0:17:58 > 0:17:59Probably even more.

0:18:19 > 0:18:23For Francois, the only hope of returning to the UK legally

0:18:23 > 0:18:25is an out-of-country appeal.

0:18:26 > 0:18:28There is huge pressure on the Government

0:18:28 > 0:18:32to deport foreign nationals who commit serious crimes in Britain.

0:18:33 > 0:18:35To speed up the process,

0:18:35 > 0:18:37they've adopted and broadened a policy

0:18:37 > 0:18:40known as "deport first, appeal later".

0:19:23 > 0:19:27After three hours, Francois gives up on filling in the appeal form.

0:20:15 > 0:20:20I was living in the Seaford area, south of England.

0:20:20 > 0:20:24It's a very nice and warm place, probably the hottest in the UK.

0:20:26 > 0:20:29Nice food. Fish and chips.

0:20:29 > 0:20:32I was living with Malcolm and Nicola, my foster parents.

0:20:32 > 0:20:35They were like actual parents to me. They looked after me really well.

0:20:40 > 0:20:43In north-east Bangladesh, I meet 20-year-old Bok.

0:20:46 > 0:20:50He lived in the south of England for seven years until the Home Office

0:20:50 > 0:20:54deported him to the country of his birth in 2015.

0:20:55 > 0:20:59Everything about coming to Bangladesh was foreign to me

0:20:59 > 0:21:04because of the barriers to the culture, after so many years away

0:21:04 > 0:21:07from the culture and it's moved on so much.

0:21:21 > 0:21:23Bok is still adjusting to life

0:21:23 > 0:21:27in a remote and rural corner of Bangladesh.

0:21:27 > 0:21:30This is my uncle's house.

0:21:30 > 0:21:33The front and right at the back is my house,

0:21:33 > 0:21:35where you will go and see.

0:21:39 > 0:21:45Two of my uncles, their children, their wife and behind,

0:21:45 > 0:21:48I live with my mother, my sister and brother.

0:21:48 > 0:21:49So...

0:21:55 > 0:21:56This is my mother.

0:21:57 > 0:22:00He's the brother, he's 11 now.

0:22:00 > 0:22:05I was like him when I went to the UK, the same age as him.

0:22:05 > 0:22:09So you can imagine growing up over there from this sort of age

0:22:09 > 0:22:12and coming back to this age and how you'd react.

0:22:12 > 0:22:15I've got... Everything in me is British culture

0:22:15 > 0:22:18and now coming back is really tough.

0:22:18 > 0:22:19Such a shock.

0:22:27 > 0:22:28Hi, Rob.

0:22:28 > 0:22:29How you doing?

0:22:31 > 0:22:35Not bad. First thing I'd ask, how did you score 150?

0:22:38 > 0:22:41All true. I just can't believe it. Was it under-14s bowling?

0:22:46 > 0:22:47He is my closest friend in England

0:22:47 > 0:22:51and I've known him the longest and he knows me the longest, probably.

0:22:53 > 0:22:56Rob taught Bok when he was at school in Eastbourne

0:22:56 > 0:22:58and later brought him onto his cricket team.

0:22:59 > 0:23:01Bok should be someone who is held up as,

0:23:01 > 0:23:03"Immigration is great. This is what it could be."

0:23:05 > 0:23:07You've got someone who has come over to this country,

0:23:07 > 0:23:12has gone through our education system and done amazing GCSEs,

0:23:12 > 0:23:15had gone to college, was just about to finish his second year of college

0:23:15 > 0:23:18and was applying to go to university,

0:23:18 > 0:23:20was playing cricket, was coaching cricket,

0:23:20 > 0:23:22was helping youngsters, was a massive part.

0:23:22 > 0:23:26He couldn't have been more of a part of the furniture than what he was.

0:23:55 > 0:23:56When Bok was 11,

0:23:56 > 0:24:00he says his father sent him to Britain because Bok was at risk of

0:24:00 > 0:24:02kidnap by his father's enemies.

0:24:36 > 0:24:37Because of these threats,

0:24:37 > 0:24:41Bok says his father paid traffickers to smuggle him to safety in

0:24:41 > 0:24:43Eastbourne on the south coast of England.

0:24:47 > 0:24:49But as Bok told me more of his story,

0:24:49 > 0:24:52parts of it didn't seem to add up.

0:24:52 > 0:24:56He says the traffickers abandoned him on a park bench.

0:24:56 > 0:25:00He then claims he started knocking on random doors.

0:25:18 > 0:25:20Bok was taken in,

0:25:20 > 0:25:25but he claims this apparent stranger had no connection to his traffickers

0:25:25 > 0:25:27or to his family in Bangladesh.

0:25:31 > 0:25:32Yes.

0:25:33 > 0:25:35I don't know.

0:25:35 > 0:25:38They probably felt for me or... I was basically helping them out

0:25:38 > 0:25:41or they felt I was helping their family.

0:25:45 > 0:25:49Bok says he later ran into difficulties with the stranger,

0:25:49 > 0:25:50who called social services.

0:25:52 > 0:25:57Aged 13, Bok was placed into foster care and allowed to stay in the UK.

0:26:06 > 0:26:09This is my foster family, the family picture together.

0:26:09 > 0:26:11That's why I'm watching it.

0:26:11 > 0:26:14I lived with them for nearly six years.

0:26:20 > 0:26:21This is the old man.

0:26:24 > 0:26:29I really miss them. They genuinely felt like a family cos, well,

0:26:29 > 0:26:31that's how I have always felt about them.

0:26:31 > 0:26:34Wow, they got new sofas!

0:26:37 > 0:26:39When Bok turned 18,

0:26:39 > 0:26:43the Home Office concluded that he could rebuild a family life in

0:26:43 > 0:26:46Bangladesh and that there was no evidence it was unsafe

0:26:46 > 0:26:47for him to go back.

0:26:49 > 0:26:52He was just days away from finishing his A-levels.

0:27:06 > 0:27:09It was also taken away at a point

0:27:09 > 0:27:13when I was just stepping into the full life.

0:27:14 > 0:27:17That's when I was about to step into a life

0:27:17 > 0:27:20that I could really look forward to.

0:27:20 > 0:27:25That was taken away at a serious time.

0:27:56 > 0:28:00Bash has succeeded in getting thousands of people

0:28:00 > 0:28:03to sign a petition against his deportation to Afghanistan.

0:28:06 > 0:28:07I'm really excited.

0:28:07 > 0:28:10I can't wait to just hand this box to the Home Office

0:28:10 > 0:28:14and say, "This is all the public that has been supporting me."

0:28:17 > 0:28:21This is like going to the top, top office of the Home Office

0:28:21 > 0:28:25and delivering this message to them.

0:28:25 > 0:28:28We're not alone. Our MP's with us.

0:28:30 > 0:28:35It didn't even cross our mind at first that an MP could help us,

0:28:35 > 0:28:39you know? We didn't realise what an impact it would have

0:28:39 > 0:28:41on a case like this.

0:29:01 > 0:29:04Bash has got the support of his local MP.

0:29:06 > 0:29:09She hopes the Government will have to allow more people

0:29:09 > 0:29:13like Bash to stay if he wins the appeal against his deportation.

0:29:15 > 0:29:20We're focusing on your case today, but I'm hoping, obviously,

0:29:20 > 0:29:24that we win the case, then we can start to help other children

0:29:24 > 0:29:26who have been in your situation as well.

0:29:26 > 0:29:29That's why it's so important that you win this case,

0:29:29 > 0:29:33cos it will set a precedent, then, for other people.

0:29:36 > 0:29:38When they hit 18,

0:29:38 > 0:29:42they have to apply to stay here and some of them can't stay and I think

0:29:42 > 0:29:46that has wider implications about what an inhumane and perverse policy

0:29:46 > 0:29:49it is to do that to unaccompanied child refugees.

0:29:51 > 0:29:53So we're going to go in now, I think. Thank you.

0:30:06 > 0:30:0914,000 people stood next to you,

0:30:09 > 0:30:12you just want to go keep doing it and just go there

0:30:12 > 0:30:15and fight through it. You just don't want to give up.

0:30:15 > 0:30:19- Come on, then, Bash. - Onwards and upwards.

0:30:26 > 0:30:30The Government argues it's safe for many deportees

0:30:30 > 0:30:31to return to Afghanistan.

0:30:31 > 0:30:35It also says that deporting people like Bash discourages

0:30:35 > 0:30:38other unaccompanied children and illegal migrants

0:30:38 > 0:30:41from making dangerous journeys to Britain.

0:30:44 > 0:30:46Because of immigration problems,

0:30:46 > 0:30:48Bash has missed months of his education.

0:30:48 > 0:30:51Today, he's finally back in college.

0:30:52 > 0:30:56If I had a ticket for Afghanistan, free, would you go for it?

0:30:57 > 0:31:01There's no way I would go to Afghanistan in any measures.

0:31:01 > 0:31:04- No.- You couldn't pay me £1 million to go to Afghanistan.

0:31:04 > 0:31:06That's how I felt.

0:31:06 > 0:31:08I said to them, "I don't want to go."

0:31:08 > 0:31:11You have the right to stay in this country as much as me

0:31:11 > 0:31:12and anyone else at this table

0:31:12 > 0:31:14cos you've been here since you were nine.

0:31:14 > 0:31:19You've never been arrested, you've abided to the law and stuff, so...

0:31:19 > 0:31:21what makes you any less British than any of us?

0:31:21 > 0:31:26They say at a certain age, "Go back, Afghanistan is safe for you."

0:31:26 > 0:31:28It's not safe for anyone in Afghanistan,

0:31:28 > 0:31:30even the people who live there,

0:31:30 > 0:31:32and you don't know anyone over there,

0:31:32 > 0:31:35so you're just going to get shipped to a country where you don't know

0:31:35 > 0:31:37the language, you don't know anybody.

0:31:37 > 0:31:40- And you just get shot.- Yeah, you could get shot or something, like,

0:31:40 > 0:31:43it's not a safe country to be in when you're perfectly fine here,

0:31:43 > 0:31:45doing nothing wrong.

0:31:45 > 0:31:47So I don't understand the big problem.

0:31:47 > 0:31:49They could be sending you to your death, do you know what I mean?

0:31:49 > 0:31:51- Yeah.- That's like a life sentence.

0:31:51 > 0:31:53It's like an everyday thing for them.

0:31:53 > 0:31:55- To have no idea where your mum is or anything.- No.

0:31:55 > 0:31:58I haven't seen my mum since I left Afghanistan.

0:32:06 > 0:32:10Bash says his dangerous journey to Britain over land and sea

0:32:10 > 0:32:12took close to a year.

0:32:12 > 0:32:15He says he passed through the hands of dozens of traffickers.

0:32:17 > 0:32:20Before Bash turned ten,

0:32:20 > 0:32:25he would have seen his dad killed in front of him.

0:32:26 > 0:32:30He would have seen mothers and their babies

0:32:30 > 0:32:35trying to come from one country to another and not make it.

0:32:39 > 0:32:42I just want to take the pain away from him

0:32:42 > 0:32:46and him not have to go through anything else,

0:32:46 > 0:32:47but it's the uncertainty...

0:32:49 > 0:32:50..of it might...

0:32:52 > 0:32:53..it might happen again.

0:33:31 > 0:33:34It's ten days since Francois was sent back to Jamaica.

0:33:37 > 0:33:41And he's more desperate than ever to return to his old life in Britain.

0:33:43 > 0:33:46I never like down here. People stare too much.

0:33:48 > 0:33:49I hate people staring.

0:33:51 > 0:33:56I do stand out. The way I dress, the way I speak, everything.

0:34:02 > 0:34:04- Pardon?- Does it make you feel paranoid?

0:34:04 > 0:34:06Yeah, it does make me feel paranoid.

0:34:13 > 0:34:14Shut your mouth, man.

0:34:15 > 0:34:17MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY

0:34:19 > 0:34:21Fucking dickhead. Shut your mouth, man.

0:34:25 > 0:34:27Shut your fucking mouth, bruv.

0:34:35 > 0:34:38That's why I don't like this country, man.

0:34:50 > 0:34:53Despite his tough upbringing on the streets of London,

0:34:53 > 0:34:57Jamaica is a far more dangerous place for Francois to survive.

0:34:59 > 0:35:03The murder rate here is almost 45 times higher than in Britain.

0:35:07 > 0:35:10Francois has lost relatives to this violence.

0:36:21 > 0:36:23Francois heads to a homeless shelter

0:36:23 > 0:36:27to meet another recent deportee from London.

0:36:27 > 0:36:29Basically, there's two sides.

0:36:29 > 0:36:32This side is for British...

0:36:32 > 0:36:35Deportees are targets for crime in Jamaica,

0:36:35 > 0:36:37because they've come from rich countries.

0:36:38 > 0:36:45This is my little home for now, until I get out of here.

0:36:45 > 0:36:47Don't see it happening around here.

0:36:47 > 0:36:49Round here, it ain't nice.

0:36:49 > 0:36:53There's, I think, about now, there's some curfew,

0:36:53 > 0:36:56meaning at a certain time, you can't come out,

0:36:56 > 0:36:59so, basically, there's wars in the area

0:36:59 > 0:37:01just going on and the police give curfews.

0:37:39 > 0:37:41Imagine how much of a target we are.

0:37:41 > 0:37:43I know, I hear it all the time.

0:37:44 > 0:37:47It was supposed to be something to do with us,

0:37:47 > 0:37:49cos there's a guy that came back before

0:37:49 > 0:37:53and he was, like, they stabbed him and was asking,

0:37:53 > 0:37:57"Who are the deportees? What's down there? Da-da-da-da..."

0:37:57 > 0:38:00cos they know that the reason the plane came in,

0:38:00 > 0:38:04whenever the plane comes in, they know there's deportees, most likely.

0:38:05 > 0:38:08So, basically, this is meant for us, G.

0:38:08 > 0:38:11It wasn't to do with him, it was the deportees.

0:38:11 > 0:38:14They think we've got a bag of money coming down.

0:38:25 > 0:38:27Back in Bangladesh,

0:38:27 > 0:38:30I wanted to find out the truth about why Bok was sent to the UK

0:38:30 > 0:38:32as a young boy.

0:38:34 > 0:38:37He has suggested that he needed safe asylum,

0:38:37 > 0:38:40but I'm wondering if he may have been sent as an economic migrant.

0:39:03 > 0:39:05Since being deported back to Bangladesh,

0:39:05 > 0:39:09Bok has struggled to find work in a country rife with poverty.

0:39:11 > 0:39:14Men from here are regularly sent to the UK

0:39:14 > 0:39:17to provide for family members back home.

0:39:41 > 0:39:44In Britain, the Government faces particular pressure

0:39:44 > 0:39:46to reduce the number of economic migrants.

0:39:48 > 0:39:52The Home Office did not think Bok's evidence that he was in danger

0:39:52 > 0:39:54in Bangladesh was compelling.

0:39:58 > 0:40:01I'm dubious about his story that he was sent to Britain

0:40:01 > 0:40:03to escape threats from his father's enemies...

0:40:05 > 0:40:08..so I try to find out more about his dad.

0:40:13 > 0:40:17That's my dad, but I don't remember seeing him like that.

0:40:17 > 0:40:22I just remember him with a beard. So that's a very, very old photo.

0:40:25 > 0:40:29I think about him. I just like to...whatever.

0:40:29 > 0:40:31I have memory of him, I like to keep it to myself,

0:40:31 > 0:40:33I don't like sharing his memory.

0:40:48 > 0:40:49Not for me.

0:40:50 > 0:40:57I don't remember. I just erase it from my memory and refresh it, so...

0:40:57 > 0:40:59I'm OK with it.

0:41:01 > 0:41:05Bok is clearly reluctant to talk about his dad,

0:41:05 > 0:41:08so I ask his mum about his claim that he was sent to Britain

0:41:08 > 0:41:10because of serious threats.

0:41:31 > 0:41:34I want to get to the bottom of why Bok was sent to Britain.

0:41:34 > 0:41:37He says he was taken in by a total stranger

0:41:37 > 0:41:40when he arrived in Eastbourne,

0:41:40 > 0:41:43but I'm beginning to suspect he was sent to live with a relative

0:41:43 > 0:41:46to earn money for the family back in Bangladesh.

0:41:55 > 0:41:57I do not have any relatives that I know of in the UK.

0:41:59 > 0:42:00I am very much sure.

0:42:12 > 0:42:15I ask Rob, Bok's closest friend in Britain,

0:42:15 > 0:42:18who Bok stayed with when he arrived in Eastbourne.

0:42:21 > 0:42:25As far as I'm aware, he was meant to be staying with his brother.

0:42:25 > 0:42:28The communication was fairly basic that we could have...

0:42:30 > 0:42:31..and he didn't really...

0:42:31 > 0:42:33I didn't feel he wanted to massively talk about it,

0:42:33 > 0:42:36so I didn't really want to push him on it any further.

0:42:37 > 0:42:41In front of you, you have a piece of paper which is the electoral roll

0:42:41 > 0:42:45that shows that you did actually have a family member in the UK

0:42:45 > 0:42:49and that you were staying at the address where they were registered.

0:42:49 > 0:42:53Well, now, obviously from what I found out, I do have,

0:42:53 > 0:42:55but I wasn't aware back then, was I?

0:42:55 > 0:42:59So I didn't see him and I'm not connected to him or nothing anyway.

0:42:59 > 0:43:01I just don't...I just don't know.

0:43:01 > 0:43:03I haven't spoke to him for a long time.

0:43:05 > 0:43:07Did you go to England to live with this relative?

0:43:08 > 0:43:12No, I certainly didn't go to England to live with this relative.

0:43:12 > 0:43:13I did not.

0:43:20 > 0:43:23I never find out why Bok denies living with a relative.

0:43:26 > 0:43:29And it's unclear why he lost contact with them

0:43:29 > 0:43:31and ended up in foster care.

0:43:33 > 0:43:36It does seem a little bit strange that you come over here to meet a

0:43:36 > 0:43:39relative and then you don't end up living with that relative.

0:43:42 > 0:43:44Bok obviously got trafficked to this country

0:43:44 > 0:43:47and then dumped and left to fend for himself,

0:43:47 > 0:43:51to look after himself in a country where he didn't speak

0:43:51 > 0:43:53the language and didn't know anyone.

0:43:55 > 0:43:58Bok was given no choice about being trafficked out of Bangladesh

0:43:58 > 0:44:00when he was just 11.

0:44:04 > 0:44:09The painful reality, that his family send him as an economic migrant,

0:44:09 > 0:44:11is hard for Bok to accept.

0:44:23 > 0:44:25It was very, very important for me to believe

0:44:25 > 0:44:28that my life was in danger, for me to go away, because,

0:44:28 > 0:44:32otherwise, I don't see, personally, the age I was, why would I go there?

0:44:32 > 0:44:37Why someone would want to have their child go away from them?

0:44:37 > 0:44:39Why would they?

0:44:42 > 0:44:46Against the odds, the young Bok built himself a life in Britain.

0:44:49 > 0:44:51One that he'll probably never get back.

0:44:53 > 0:44:57He wanted to take his education further and he wanted to...

0:44:57 > 0:44:59This was his home. He called this home.

0:44:59 > 0:45:02This is where he wanted to be, he wanted to live here,

0:45:02 > 0:45:05he wanted to work, he wanted to be part of society,

0:45:05 > 0:45:08so it literally just got ripped from underneath him, basically.

0:45:13 > 0:45:16The truth is, I'm really deeply hurt and scared

0:45:16 > 0:45:19and I don't know how to pull myself back together. I just...

0:45:21 > 0:45:22..don't know.

0:45:36 > 0:45:40In Cardiff, Bash has just received some huge news

0:45:40 > 0:45:44from his lawyer, Vinita, about whether he can stay in Britain.

0:45:45 > 0:45:48I sat down, I rang Vinita and I said,

0:45:48 > 0:45:50"Hello," and she said,

0:45:50 > 0:45:53"I'm sorry, Bash, your case has been refused.

0:45:55 > 0:45:56"And...

0:45:57 > 0:45:59"..I don't have anything to say."

0:46:00 > 0:46:03She said, "I'm sorry. I tried my best," and everything.

0:46:06 > 0:46:09Hi, can I book an appointment for an emergency, please?

0:46:11 > 0:46:16I just had bad news about my case, so I just need to see my doctor.

0:46:16 > 0:46:20Yeah, I have depression. I need my depression tablets as well.

0:46:28 > 0:46:32Yeah, I can book an appointment. The doctor will ring me back.

0:46:34 > 0:46:37You need to see this counsellor.

0:46:37 > 0:46:39Ideally, you want to see her tomorrow.

0:46:41 > 0:46:44- Mental health should be a priority in itself.- Yeah, definitely.

0:46:50 > 0:46:51Had enough of this life.

0:46:51 > 0:46:53I've had enough of this kind of situation.

0:46:56 > 0:46:57Really had enough.

0:47:00 > 0:47:02It's hurting each and every one of us.

0:47:03 > 0:47:05I don't know how much heart...

0:47:06 > 0:47:07..heartache we can take.

0:47:09 > 0:47:13The only thing I was planning, it's in my mind to run away.

0:47:16 > 0:47:21Because he knows now what to expect if he's arrested and detained...

0:47:23 > 0:47:25..he's scared of going through that again.

0:47:34 > 0:47:39So, what exactly are the Home Office saying in terms of why they've

0:47:39 > 0:47:43refused for a case, Bash?

0:47:43 > 0:47:45They're not accepting that he's not Westernised.

0:47:47 > 0:47:52They're not accepting that he has a home life here.

0:48:16 > 0:48:19People facing deportation, like Bash...

0:48:21 > 0:48:24..have to sign in every few weeks with the Home Office.

0:48:25 > 0:48:29Last October, Bash was detained after one of these sign-ins.

0:48:31 > 0:48:34Today is his first sign-in since he lost his appeal.

0:48:40 > 0:48:44There's a serious risk Bash could be detained again.

0:48:44 > 0:48:49This is obviously the first sign-in since they made that decision,

0:48:49 > 0:48:52since you have that decision, so it's just...

0:48:52 > 0:48:54just nerve-racking, you know?

0:49:03 > 0:49:04I'm terrified he won't come out.

0:49:07 > 0:49:11I don't think I could cope through it again.

0:49:11 > 0:49:15It's like having your heart ripped out of your chest and stamped on

0:49:15 > 0:49:16by people who don't know us.

0:49:34 > 0:49:38He's usually in...in and out within sort of five minutes,

0:49:38 > 0:49:42but there seems to be a lot more people going in as well,

0:49:42 > 0:49:46so whether that's got anything to do with it, I don't know. Not sure.

0:50:32 > 0:50:35Francois is still desperate to get back to his son in London.

0:50:37 > 0:50:40He says he's determined not to repeat

0:50:40 > 0:50:41the mistakes his parents made.

0:50:43 > 0:50:46I still feel it badly.

0:50:46 > 0:50:49I always looked at myself like I was different from my friends...

0:50:51 > 0:50:57..cos they all had their mums, dad, like...

0:50:57 > 0:50:59They all had their little family, innit?

0:50:59 > 0:51:02I never had that. For me, that was missing,

0:51:02 > 0:51:04so there was always a rage.

0:51:06 > 0:51:11As I got older, that kind of started to trigger off,

0:51:11 > 0:51:14like the first time I got arrested.

0:51:14 > 0:51:16It started just triggering off, like...

0:51:22 > 0:51:26Today is the deadline for Francois to submit his appeal,

0:51:26 > 0:51:30his only chance of a legal route back to Britain,

0:51:30 > 0:51:33but he's struggling without the guidance of a lawyer.

0:51:37 > 0:51:40His mum and gran are offering what help they can.

0:52:44 > 0:52:48Unable to afford a lawyer or the fee for the appeal,

0:52:48 > 0:52:51Francois says he won't be able to submit it on time.

0:53:02 > 0:53:05It's worth pursuing, but I don't believe it will work,

0:53:05 > 0:53:07if I'm being honest, in my point of view...

0:53:08 > 0:53:11..cos it's logical that it won't work,

0:53:11 > 0:53:14but I'm still going to pursue it to prove it don't work!

0:53:20 > 0:53:22If the system don't work,

0:53:22 > 0:53:24then you've got to find ways around the system...

0:53:26 > 0:53:28..cos remember...

0:53:30 > 0:53:32..forget what the system says, innit?

0:53:32 > 0:53:34Can't let the system make a decision on your son's life.

0:53:41 > 0:53:42Being honest.

0:53:45 > 0:53:48What's going to happen? I'm going to get back to my son however I can.

0:53:48 > 0:53:50That's what's going to happen.