In a rush? Fast facts:

• Baba arrived in the UK 16 years ago from Togo, as a 15-year-old seeking asylum
• His sister was granted asylum - but he's been left lost in the system ever since
• He's grown up in the UK and his only family life is here - he has no contact with any family in Togo
• Living under the threat of ‘deportation’ for so many years has taken a big toll on his mental state, and he has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety
• Despite these mental health issues, he was recently detained and locked up in Brook House. The Home Office tried to deport him without informing his lawyer and without Baba even having the necessary ID documents
• All he wants is a chance at life - for over half his life he's been denied the right to work even the most basic job
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We are his friends and family who love him and we're aiming to raise £10000 to cover Baba’s legal costs for an appeal and judicial review. Please consider a donation - no amount is too small! - and sharing this page on Facebook and Twitter.

Baba's story

Background

Baba came to the UK at 15 and is now 31, meaning he’s lived here for over half his life. The UK is his home. It’s where he grew up. It’s where his family and wide circle of friends live and love him.

But the Home Office is now trying to deport him to Togo, a country he barely knows, where he no longer has contact with anyone - not even his parents - so there’s nobody to go back to.

As far as he is concerned, his only real family is now his big sister, who came to the UK a year before him and was granted humanitarian protection, her husband and his two nieces -  who love him like a father. 

But Baba never had a chance at such happiness. His life has instead been ruined by chronic mishandling of his case from the very moment he first arrived.

Left in limbo and psychological turmoil

The Home Office first refused to accept that he was related to his sister - denying him the right to his family life. 

He was then falsely accused of lying about his age - stopping him from being treated as an unaccompanied minor, impeding his proper legal rights as a child.

On the back of these mistakes, he was painted as a liar, treated as an adult at 15, and his case was rejected.

Despite the Home Office subsequently backing down and accepting his age, they refused to process his claim as a minor. This has tarnished Baba’s subsequent claims ever since, leading them to drag on for years, causing immense psychological turmoil and significant damage to his mental health.

Baba is renowned for providing positive emotional support to those around him, despite what he’s been through. That’s just who he is. But silently he battles depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

In that situation you're under permanent stress, never able to plan for the future, never knowing whether you'll be deported at a moment's notice, constantly fearing being dropped off on the other side of the world with no money and no realistic way of ever being able to see your friends or family again. 

It's taken it's toll on Baba. As it would on anybody in that situation. 

So we need your help to save this wonderful person and give him a fair chance at life.

Right to family life

During 16 years of waiting, Baba has developed a very strong family and private life – both of which are protected by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Whilst this government’s long-term commitment to human rights is up in the air, for now this is still Baba’s human right - and forcibly deporting him would not only impact very heavily on him, but also on his sister and young nieces who adore him. 

The case - why Baba needs YOUR HELP NOW

Part of the reason Baba has been in limbo is that the Home Office has taken so long to resolve his fresh claims and submissions of new evidence.  

Then suddenly one day Baba was locked up in Brook House, a notorious detention centre, and the Home Office tried to deport him on the sly without even telling his lawyers.

This was despite Baba having already provided medical evidence through his lawyer that he would be a suicide risk in detention - and it directly contravened the Home Office’s own guidance when it comes to dealing with people at risk.

It’s hard to express the added damage to Baba’s mental health caused by this episode.

But luckily his lawyer caught wind of it in time and managed to submit a fresh claim and secure his release.

And this is why Baba needs your help - to raise funds to pay for this legal expertise. 

What we’re raising money for

We are aiming to raise £10,000 to cover Baba’s further legal costs.

Currently the Home Office is considering Baba’s fresh claim to stay in the United Kingdom. If that claim is refused, Baba would have either a right of appeal or could possibly apply under a procedure known as judicial review. If an appeal was granted, it would be listed for hearing within a matter of weeks, leaving no time to fundraise, which is why we are seeking funds now to cover further legal action. 

This really is our last chance. So please help.

Donate here - and share this to as many people as you can.

Why Baba can’t pay for himself

Throughout all these years, the British government has denied Baba the opportunity to work. 

The only work they will allow him to do are in fields of expertise - like nuclear physics.

Who knows, Baba might well have become a brilliant nuclear physicist had he been given the opportunity - but instead he was even blocked from going to university while his status was unresolved.

The cruel irony is that this comes at a time when the UK is forced to admit that the country cannot recruit enough fruit pickers even rom EU countries like Romania or Bulgaria. 

So much so that they released this quote:

“We have been clear that up until December 2020, employers in the agricultural and food processing sectors will be free to recruit EU citizens to fill vacancies and those arriving to work will be able to stay in the UK afterwards.”

So the government is willing to offer lifetime access to the UK based on a summer’s worth of work to some people, while equally happy to deny any opportunity to work at all for someone who has lived here for 16 years and desperate to live his life close to his family in the only place he calls home.

Thus far Baba’s had to rely on the charity of friends and family - but now we need your help too.