Windrush Generation deaths: Three people die after being wrongly deported from UK

22nd June 1948: The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain.
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James Morris31 August 2018
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Three members of the Windrush Generation who were wrongly deported to the Caribbean have died, the Home Office has said.

It confirmed the Jamaican government's reports that three people died before officials were able to contact them to help them to return the UK.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the revelation should "shame" the government and called on Prime Minister Theresa May to personally apologise to the affected families.

The Home Office apologised and said it was "inexcusable", while Kamina Johnson-Smith, the Jamaican foreign minister, described the situation as "unfortunate".

Ms Johnson-Smith told The Guardian: "We have just received the information that they are dead. We have to find the families.

"There are no mobile numbers on the national registry. You might end up in a community, asking if people know the people who live beside them. It can be quite painstaking. Our team is on it every day.

"People's lives have been impacted in a serious way. Families have been impacted and that is a terrible thing."

The people of Jamaica had felt "a mix of hurt and anger" when the scandal emerged, she said.

But Ms Johnson-Smith added the government's response to the crisis had "certainly improved" and had not destabilised Jamaica-UK relations.

She added: "We have maintained a collaborative approach. So far so good.

"We are trying to play our part in ensuring that rights are restored where they have been taken away and a sense of justice is felt by persons who have been affected, and that this is all done in a timely way.

Windrush generation arrive in Britain

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"We want to be sure as best as possible that something like this does not happen again."

Ms Abbott blamed the "hostile environment policy" for the scandal.

She said: "The deaths of these British citizens in Jamaica shame this government and the Prime Minister, who is the architect of the hostile environment policy that saw these British citizens sent to Jamaica.

Diane Abbott said the deaths 'shame the government'
PA

"Our fellow citizens dying thousands of miles from their homes, families and friends and our health service is the latest tragic injustice suffered by our fellow citizens as a direct result of the Tories' hostile environment.

"The Prime Minister must personally apologise to their families and loved ones."

The Home Office said in a statement on Friday: “The experiences faced by some members of the Windrush Generation are inexcusable. The home secretary and the immigration minister have said it is their priority to right the wrongs that have occurred.

“Our historical reviews into removals and detentions have identified 18 people who it is believed could have been wrongfully removed or detained. Three of the 18 people have been confirmed as having died. The home secretary will be writing to the families of the deceased as well as the other 15 people identified to offer a personal apology. We are working closely with Caribbean high commissioners and governments to do this.”

Additional reporting by Press Association.

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