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| Teenager invited to Parliament for Young Builder of the Year Awards nomination to be deported to Afghanistan | Teenager invited to Parliament for Young Builder of the Year Awards nomination to be deported to Afghanistan |
| (1 day later) | |
| It was September 2012 when the Taliban beheaded Walid Durani’s grandfather. The corpse was dumped in a ditch in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan with a note pinned to the severed head: either the Durani family stopped supplying the American military with oil and electricity, or the next eldest male would face a similar fate. | It was September 2012 when the Taliban beheaded Walid Durani’s grandfather. The corpse was dumped in a ditch in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan with a note pinned to the severed head: either the Durani family stopped supplying the American military with oil and electricity, or the next eldest male would face a similar fate. |
| Walid’s father had been kidnapped by a different group of insurgents six months previously, so that person was Walid. He was 14 years old. | Walid’s father had been kidnapped by a different group of insurgents six months previously, so that person was Walid. He was 14 years old. |
| The threat caused his mother to bundle him into a car that same day, which took him across the border to Pakistan. From there, relatives put him aboard a plane that brought him to Heathrow. His escape was so precipitate and disorienting that Walid admits he had no idea where he was when he arrived. | The threat caused his mother to bundle him into a car that same day, which took him across the border to Pakistan. From there, relatives put him aboard a plane that brought him to Heathrow. His escape was so precipitate and disorienting that Walid admits he had no idea where he was when he arrived. |
| “I couldn’t speak any English back then,” he says. “All I had was my brother-in-law’s telephone number.” | “I couldn’t speak any English back then,” he says. “All I had was my brother-in-law’s telephone number.” |
| Walid applied for asylum seeker status. He was rejected but, as a minor, was allowed to stay in the UK. He began school, learned English and befriended the son of a local building and development company, who took Walid on as an apprentice. He also studied bricklaying one day a week at college, at which he excelled. | Walid applied for asylum seeker status. He was rejected but, as a minor, was allowed to stay in the UK. He began school, learned English and befriended the son of a local building and development company, who took Walid on as an apprentice. He also studied bricklaying one day a week at college, at which he excelled. |
| The dedication and determination he showed in his new vocation led him to be nominated in the 2016 Young Builder of the Year Awards. Walid received a commendation and was among 16 youngsters who were invited to the Houses of Parliament in order to receive a certificate from Lord Bird, the founder of The Big Issue magazine. | The dedication and determination he showed in his new vocation led him to be nominated in the 2016 Young Builder of the Year Awards. Walid received a commendation and was among 16 youngsters who were invited to the Houses of Parliament in order to receive a certificate from Lord Bird, the founder of The Big Issue magazine. |
| However, Walid’s luck changed when he turned 18; as an adult, he no longer has the right to remain in the country. The immigration judge in his original trial had declared the 14-year-old an economic migrant, and the Home Office has repeatedly denied his applications as an asylum seeker on the grounds that he must prove his claims of persecution with paperwork. | However, Walid’s luck changed when he turned 18; as an adult, he no longer has the right to remain in the country. The immigration judge in his original trial had declared the 14-year-old an economic migrant, and the Home Office has repeatedly denied his applications as an asylum seeker on the grounds that he must prove his claims of persecution with paperwork. |
| Walid, who lives in Fleet, Hampshire, has tried to obtain proof of his grandfather’s death, but has hit a brick wall. | Walid, who lives in Fleet, Hampshire, has tried to obtain proof of his grandfather’s death, but has hit a brick wall. |
| “The police are so corrupt in Afghanistan that I can't get any documents without paying a substantial bribe,” he said. | “The police are so corrupt in Afghanistan that I can't get any documents without paying a substantial bribe,” he said. |
| “Besides, death certificates don’t really exist there. The country is too chaotic.” | “Besides, death certificates don’t really exist there. The country is too chaotic.” |
| Having exhausted his legal recourses, and with his final appeal having been rejected late last year, he now faces deportation at any moment, leaving the Afghan teen tearful and desperate. | Having exhausted his legal recourses, and with his final appeal having been rejected late last year, he now faces deportation at any moment, leaving the Afghan teen tearful and desperate. |
| “I have no one left in Afghanistan,” he said. “My family has all escaped to Austria, but I can’t join them because I don’t have a passport. What will I do if they fly me back to Kabul? I will have to live on the streets.” | “I have no one left in Afghanistan,” he said. “My family has all escaped to Austria, but I can’t join them because I don’t have a passport. What will I do if they fly me back to Kabul? I will have to live on the streets.” |
| A Home Office spokesperson told The Independent: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases.” |