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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/19/luqman-onikosi-deportation-shows-being-forced-to-become-border-guards
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| Luqman Onikosi’s deportation shows we are all being asked to become border guards | Luqman Onikosi’s deportation shows we are all being asked to become border guards |
| (7 months later) | |
| In 2013 I wrote an article in support of Luqman Onikosi, a young man from Nigeria I met while he was studying at Sussex University, where I was then teaching. Onikosi was facing deportation. He had been diagnosed with a life-threatening liver condition due to having contracted hepatitis B, an illness that had already seen the loss of two of his brothers back home. His condition, though debilitating, is manageable while he receives treatment. However, if deported to Nigeria, where such treatment is not available, it is almost certain he will meet the same fate as his brothers. | In 2013 I wrote an article in support of Luqman Onikosi, a young man from Nigeria I met while he was studying at Sussex University, where I was then teaching. Onikosi was facing deportation. He had been diagnosed with a life-threatening liver condition due to having contracted hepatitis B, an illness that had already seen the loss of two of his brothers back home. His condition, though debilitating, is manageable while he receives treatment. However, if deported to Nigeria, where such treatment is not available, it is almost certain he will meet the same fate as his brothers. |
| In 2012, with the help of his supporters across the UK, and from a lawyer working pro bono, Onikosi was able to submit a fresh leave-to-remain application on human rights grounds, and stay in the country for the time being. | In 2012, with the help of his supporters across the UK, and from a lawyer working pro bono, Onikosi was able to submit a fresh leave-to-remain application on human rights grounds, and stay in the country for the time being. |
| A few days ago, I received news that he is again being threatened with deportation. After he returned to Sussex to study for a master’s, the Home Office informed the university that his leave-to-remain application had been rejected. The university terminated his degree despite the fact that he was writing his dissertation at the time. Crucially, Onikosi did not find out about the status of his application. Only in late January 2016 did he eventually receive a letter – dated May 2015 – saying it had been rejected. | A few days ago, I received news that he is again being threatened with deportation. After he returned to Sussex to study for a master’s, the Home Office informed the university that his leave-to-remain application had been rejected. The university terminated his degree despite the fact that he was writing his dissertation at the time. Crucially, Onikosi did not find out about the status of his application. Only in late January 2016 did he eventually receive a letter – dated May 2015 – saying it had been rejected. |
| In my 2013 article I stressed the contributions Onikosi has made to British society through his unwavering activism and volunteer work. I also highlighted the UK government’s hypocritical treatment of international students who serve as cash cows only to be forced to leave the country at a moment’s notice as soon as they are no longer paying fees. However, most readers agreed that, while Onikosi’s situation was unfortunate, rules were rules. | In my 2013 article I stressed the contributions Onikosi has made to British society through his unwavering activism and volunteer work. I also highlighted the UK government’s hypocritical treatment of international students who serve as cash cows only to be forced to leave the country at a moment’s notice as soon as they are no longer paying fees. However, most readers agreed that, while Onikosi’s situation was unfortunate, rules were rules. |
| I agree. It has become pointless, and in fact undermining, to argue against the injustices of contemporary border control using the language of individual human rights. While my heart aches for Onikosi, and for his family and friends, he himself has stressed time and again how his case is but one example of the failure of the immigration system. | I agree. It has become pointless, and in fact undermining, to argue against the injustices of contemporary border control using the language of individual human rights. While my heart aches for Onikosi, and for his family and friends, he himself has stressed time and again how his case is but one example of the failure of the immigration system. |
| Seen in historical perspective, the UK, like all western countries, was built on the colonisation and expropriation of the resources of the majority of the world. More recently, its wealth and infrastructure has been strengthened in huge measure by immigrant labour. International students contribute £2.8bn a year to the economy of London alone. | Seen in historical perspective, the UK, like all western countries, was built on the colonisation and expropriation of the resources of the majority of the world. More recently, its wealth and infrastructure has been strengthened in huge measure by immigrant labour. International students contribute £2.8bn a year to the economy of London alone. |
| So to argue that people such as Onikosi or Ama Sumani, a Ghanaian woman who died after being deported from the UK while undergoing treatment for terminal cancer, should be allowed to stay in the UK is pointless without placing their cases in the context of harsh border control policies. The border is now everywhere; no longer just at ports and airports. Checks of “compliance” with visa regulations are an everyday occurrence. Over the past few years, universities too have been forced by the government to effectively become border guards by monitoring international students’ attendance or stand accused of facilitating “illegal immigration”. Thankfully, Onikosi has been supported by a number of academics at Sussex, but this is at their own risk of violating the terms imposed on universities by the state. Border controls can succeed when everyone is forced to become complicit in enforcing them, even institutions of higher learning that trade on being bastions of freedom and the pursuit of knowledge. | So to argue that people such as Onikosi or Ama Sumani, a Ghanaian woman who died after being deported from the UK while undergoing treatment for terminal cancer, should be allowed to stay in the UK is pointless without placing their cases in the context of harsh border control policies. The border is now everywhere; no longer just at ports and airports. Checks of “compliance” with visa regulations are an everyday occurrence. Over the past few years, universities too have been forced by the government to effectively become border guards by monitoring international students’ attendance or stand accused of facilitating “illegal immigration”. Thankfully, Onikosi has been supported by a number of academics at Sussex, but this is at their own risk of violating the terms imposed on universities by the state. Border controls can succeed when everyone is forced to become complicit in enforcing them, even institutions of higher learning that trade on being bastions of freedom and the pursuit of knowledge. |
| If Onikosi is deported to Nigeria, this brilliant young man will most certainly die. And for those left in the UK, it will be another sign of the encroachment of the border into all areas of society. | If Onikosi is deported to Nigeria, this brilliant young man will most certainly die. And for those left in the UK, it will be another sign of the encroachment of the border into all areas of society. |