The Independent has reported that 25 Jamaicans who were granted a last-minute reprieve from a deportation flight two weeks ago are still in detention and unable to reunite with their families. Lawyers have said this could be illegal on the part of the Home Office as their removal was ruled unlawful by the courts.

One of them, Reshawn Davis, 30, who has been in the UK since the age of 11 and has a seven-month-old British daughter, said that despite this he was still in detention and hadn’t been informed by the Home Office what was happening with his case. Mr Davis was facing deportation on the basis that he was convicted for robbery 10 years ago under the now-unlawful “joint enterprise” rule – for which he spent two months in prison. Read more about Reshawn and others here.

It has been revealed that a report which concluded that the Home Office was 'institutionally racist' over its 'hostile environment' immigration policy has been 'watered down'. The claim has been edited out of the final draft of the so-called 'lessons learned' Windrush Review into detentions and deportations of members of the Windrush Generation. The report was originally due to be published in March 2019 but has yet to appear. 

An early draft of the report, led by inspector of constabulary Wendy Williams, described the Home Office as 'institutionally racist'. But according to sources reported by The Times, this has been removed. Previous leaked extracts of the report said the department had been 'reckless' and had a 'defensive culture' over how it handled immigration. A leak that emerged last week said the government should end the removal of foreign-born offenders who arrived in the UK as children. According to The Times, this recommendation has also been removed from the latest version

Labour MP David Lammy, who has campaigned on the Windrush scandal, said it had resulted in the "systematic deportation and detention of black citizens by the Home Office. The victim's nationality and rights were denied because of the colour of their skin. If that is not institutionally racist, I have no idea what is."

​Read more here and here.

In the light of the recent deportation to Jamaica, this article looks at the provision for legal advice in detention centres. And finds it sorely lacking, speaking of "systemic failures". For example, a survey by charity Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) found that most detainees waited over a week to see an adviser on the rota in one of 40 half-hour slots per week. This often makes their services useless, as the Home Office offers only a 72-hour notice period before removal – one reason why challenges to deportation so often happen at the last minute.

This makes it all the more remarkable that last-minute legal interventions managed to get so many potential deportees off the flight as "brilliant, committed immigration lawyers worked hard to uphold their client’s rights, no matter how complex their case; fought tirelessly to ensure that everyone had access to justice, no matter who they are".

Read the full article.

The Church of England is “deeply, institutionally” racist, the Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday, as the church seeks to increase the number of black and ethnic minority clergy in its ranks. Addressing the General Synod in London, the Most Rev Justin Welby said that he was “almost beyond words” after hearing about the racism faced by minority parishioners, priests and officials within the church. “I’m ashamed of our history and I’m ashamed of our failure,” he said. Read more here.

The government is planning a secret flight to forcibly remove more than 50 people to Jamaica, the first since 2016. Due to the Windrush Scandal, a planned charter flight to Jamaica last spring was cancelled and charter flights to Jamaica (but not other countries) were suspended. Until now. In addition, many are still facing Windrush-related issues, and neither the results of the Windrush compensation scheme consultation nor the consultation into “lessons learned” have been published. Read more, including details about some the people who are being deported in this article.

The flight is due to leave on February 11th. A protest outside 10 Downing Street is being organised for Thursday February 6th at 6pm. Send an email for more information.

While accepting the best actor award at the BAFTAs, Joaquin Phoenix drew attention to the fact that the list of nominees was all-white. 'We send a very clear message to people of colour that "you’re not welcome here"... It is the obligation of the people who have created and benefit from the system of oppression to be the ones to dismantle it.' Watch the speech here.

Last September BBC Breakfast Presenter Naga Munchetty was making the news instead of reporting it when she was made the subject of BBC inquiry after she spoke out against racist remarks made by US President Donald Trump. The inquiry was set up after one complaint was received. When the BBC confirmed it was partially upholding the complaint, it triggered a huge reaction, including a letter supporting Naga from 61 fellow broadcasters and  journalists. BBC director-general Tony Hall intervened and reversed the ruling, stating: “Racism is racism and the BBC is not impartial on the topic.”  
In this interview with Vogue magazine Naga speaks about the affair and reflects on how she feels about her role in the BBC, and finds herself encouraging her minority co-workers to “hold on”.

"Find me a large organisation, and find me an employee from a minority group who feels they are able to bring their true self to work today. I don’t think you’ll be able to." Read the interview here.