A record number of Nigerians and Ghanaians were deported to their home countries on one flight, with 44 forcibly removed on Friday, the Home Office has confirmed.
The news came as it emerged that any asylum seekers who arrive in Diego Garcia before a treaty between the UK and Mauritius to hand back the Chagos Islands is finalised will be sent to Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic Ocean described as one of the most remote places on Earth.
The Chagos Islands deal is expected to be signed next year. About 60 Tamils who have been stranded on Diego Garcia since 2021 and who have mounted a legal challenge claiming they have been unlawfully detained on the island will not be included in the Saint Helena deal. Judgment in their unlawful detention claim is expected soon.
