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WOW2 – February 2023: Women Trailblazers and Activists, 2-23 thru 2-29 [1]

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Date: 2023-02-25  

February 27, 2017 – Irene Clennell, who was born and grew up in Singapore, where her father had fought alongside British troops during WWII, arrived in London in 1988, and married John Clennell, a British citizen, in 1990. She was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and the couple settled in County Durham. They have two children. But after spending long periods back in Singapore caring for her dying parents, her leave to remain lapsed (if the holder spends more than two years cumulatively out of the UK, the leave lapses). She made repeated attempts – in Singapore and back in the UK – to reapply for permission to live with her husband, which were all rejected. After over a month of detention in an immigration removal centre, she was deported to Singapore, without being allowed to say good-bye to her husband of 27 years, their two sons, or her two-year-old granddaughter. Clennell had only the clothes she was wearing, and £12 in her pocket. She was met at the airport by her sister, but the official in Singapore who was supposed to meet her didn’t show up. She stayed at her sister’s cramped apartment, where she had to sleep on the floor. Clennell spoke from Singapore, describing her ordeal, “It is a bloody disgrace; they treat me like a terrorist and anything else under the sun. They embarrass me in front of everybody, the only thing I did wrong was marry a British man and want to stay in the country with my kids and my husband. I have never done wrong to anybody; all I want is my family and this is what I get. The people who escorted me to the airport told me there would be someone to meet up with me but they did not do anything. The officers handed me a letter from the Home Office which says I have exhibited disruptive and violent behaviour. It also says my case is subject to orchestrated public protest.” Clennell had been moved from the North East of England detention centre to Dungavel in Scotland before being deported. The Scottish National Party called on UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd to provide answers, and said they had “very serious concerns about the manner of the deportation.” Joanna Cherry QC MP said, “This case is another example of the inability of the Home Office to take account of special or compassionate circumstances when required, and the human cost of the inflexibility of the UK’s immigration rules. This approach suggests relentless prioritising of the net migration target against a sensible and humane approach to individual cases.” Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, said, “Tory anti-immigration policies have gone too far when a woman who is lawfully married, and has lived in the UK most of her adult life, is cruelly separated from her British husband and children. I will be taking this case up with the home secretary.” The Clennell family said they had been overwhelmed by the support of the public, who donated £50,000 to a fundraising page to help Irene fight her case . She used the funds to hire a lawyer, and applied again for a spousal visa. In August 2017, the Home Office approved a new visa for Clennell and allowed her to return to the UK.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/25/2154793/-WOW2-February-2023-Women-Trailblazers-and-Activists-2-23-thru-2-29

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