Failed Asylum Seekers: Dzokai Muyemwe

"We have today announced the resumption of enforced returns to Zimbabwe for failed asylum seekers judged by the independent courts to have no right to remain in the UK. This decision reflects the improved stability in Zimbabwe since 2009 and the UK court's view that not all Zimbabweans are in need of international protection. Those facing return will join the hundreds who have returned voluntarily, responding to calls by Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to return home and help rebuild their country. The British Government takes its international responsibilities seriously and will always grant protection to those in genuine need, and continue to monitor events in Zimbabwe."

- Immigration Minister, Damian Green's statement on Thursday on UKBA's on return from a fact finding mission in Zimbabwe to determine whether or not it is safe to resume deportations for failed asylum seekers.

Apparently the UKBA (UK Border Agency) thinks its safe enough to resume it's racially-biased deportations of Black Zimbabweans, but some of my friends say that's BS because if it's not safe enough for the England cricket team not to go on tour Zimbabwe, it's not safe enough to return people. Frankly, I couldn't care less if England doesn't want to play with us. Bangladesh, India, Ireland, the West Indies and Kenya have come and will all come back again to play cricket,  so David and Nick, 'keep your Britain and [we] will keep [our] Zimbabwe.' But  some of my friends are mad at the UK for this, but I fail to see what they're so angry about; that England and Scotland don't want to come and play, yet Zimbabwe is safe for Zimbabweans or that deportation is an inhumane practice by a country that believes it is a defender of human rights? If it's the former, are they saying that England and Scotland's tours to Zimbabwe are the benchmark of all things Zimbabwean? Are Zimbabweans not safe to go back to Zimbabwe because England and Scotland won't come ...to play cricket? C'mon people Mother Empire's long friggin' dead, for goodness sake! 

My friends know that the evidence on the ground concurs with the findings of UKBA (shock horror!) so why is it that 'Zimbabwe is hell' becomes the default position when we talk about mass deportations but when we talk about the economy it's 'Zimbabwe's coming back to life'? We all acknowledge that persecutions continue, but for the majority of the populace things are significantly better, so why this opposition? We also all acknowledge that next year's elections could tip the balance of peace in favour of violence as this has become the ZANU way of elections, but, honestly what number of these failed asylum claimants were political activists?Are people suddenly doped up on 'Zimbabwe is hell' rhetoric that they instantly forget there are no firing squads waiting for them? 

iCan't understand it.

If it is the latter reasoning that they're upset with UKBA - fine, I geddit, but who hasn't always known the UK to be two-faced in these matters, it's nothing new. I think it's blindingly obvious there will never be such a thing as fair immigration in this country, there will always be disproportionate treatment of migrants from developing nations and deportation is one of those biased, inhumane forms of treatment. As I've iterated several times on this blog and elsewhere, I believe in open borders; there's nowhere on God's green earth that no human being should be prevented from going in order to make a better life for themselves and, in principle I think it's nonsense that poor people should be deported from rich countries and it's ridiculous that visa requirements for people from poor countries are set at an impossibly high level and visa rejections are the standard response, even for those who meet the requirements. If a mass influx of migrants is payback for this attitude in policy as well as colonialism, unfair loan/debt policies and unfair loan/debt policies between nation-states, the extreme wealth of corporate nations and disparities between mega-wealthy individuals mainly in the West and the poor of the planet, then payback's a B!^£#. 

Having said that and acknowledging how deeply messed up the UK asylum and deportation system is (RiP Jimmy Mubenga) , of the +10000 Zimbabweans facing deportation I see two groups of people I sympathise with differently: genuine and fake failed asylum seekers. If failed asylum seekers from Zimbabwe are genuinely in fear for their lives and made their claims before 5 March 2007, then they must go the Further Submissions Unit route (Google) to plead against deportation and I pray things work out for them. For those who know deep down in their hearts there is no real threat on their lives and they've invented stories of violence, take the £3000 package and return home. Go start up a small business, help rebuild your country.  Zimbabweans should not create a national culture of gaming the system at the expense of the country and personal dignity. Being locked up in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre or living off of State benefits and charity handouts because you're prohibited from gainful employment and with promises to cut back on everything, poor non-EU migrants will get hit the hardest first. The UK isn't paved with streets of gold, it may have it's pluses, but the UK really isn't that amazing a place to be. For all the births, baptisms, graduations, dowry proceedings, weddings, funerals and endless days of sunshine people have missed out on whilst pleading for asylum on this muggy island, 
Blighty really ain't worth all that, trust!

Harare International Airport
all pics jacked from Google Images