Deported Ghanaian left ‘suicidal’ and unable to work

A former NHS nurse has been left stateless and unable to work after being deported by the Home Office – despite being born in the UK and paying taxes for over a decade.

Dean Ablakwa, 34, was sent to Accra, the capital of Ghana, in June 2017. He has no criminal record.

Mr Ablakwa has no connections to the city, and without the means to earn a living because of his immigration status, relies on handouts from family members to survive.

Speaking to The Independent, he described his current situation as “mind-torturing” and said he has had trouble sleeping.

“Every time I dream I feel like I’m in prison,” he said. “Even when I’m here I feel like I’m not free. I don’t feel like I’m meant to be here.”

“I feel my human rights have been stripped away,” he added. “I feel betrayed because I always thought I was British.”

Returning home

Mr Ablakwa was born in east London. His parents, originally from Ghana, were killed in a road accident on holiday in the African country when he was just five years old. He was adopted by relatives in Ghana during his childhood, as they were unable to locate his passport.

He decided to return to Britain when he was 18 to live with relatives there. Unable to find his original passport, he travelled to the UK illegally using someone else’s passport.

Once back in his country of birth, he was able to use his own identity via his birth certificate to get a driver’s license, National Insurance card and a bank account.

Unrest in the Ghanaian capital Accra saw a church vandalised by young muslims (Photo: Getty)

He trained to become an NHS socio-therapist, and in 2012 got a job working in Homerton, London. However, almost a year into the job he was accused of helping a convicted murderer escape from a secure unit at his work place.

He was imprisoned for nine months on remand, but later found not guilty for the charges. Upon his release, his flat had been repossessed. Facing homelessness, he moved to Milton Keynes to stay with his aunt.

‘I felt suicidal’

Mr Ablakwa claims he started being targeted by immigration control after he attempted to apply for housing benefits.

“I called the Home Office and explained what had happened. I had my birth certificate, my bank account, I had voted in elections, I had a GP. I had already been wrongly branded a criminal.”

The Home Office reportedly told Mr Ablakwa there had been a mistake and he needed to apply for naturalisation. He spent £1000 – his last savings – applying only to be turned down on grounds that he was not eligible for work. Despite being acquitted, he was unable to get his job back on the NHS for reasons he claims were not explained to him.

Source:inews.co.uk