Afghan Pilot, a ‘True Patriot’, Faces Homelessness in UK
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Alaina
- . December 18, 2023
- . Update: December 18, 2023 5:38 pm
An Afghan pilot who fought alongside coalition troops helping Britain against its war against the Taliban is facing imminent eviction from his hotel home. He is one of the thousands of Afghan refugees who are facing homelessness after the UK Home Office changed its rules on evictions.
The Home Office had imposed a 15 December deadline to eject people who worked for the UK in Afghanistan from hotels. It also stopped feeding the Afghan refugees who are still living in the hotels.
This shocking news has come to light with the UK government having flown in more than 13,000 refugees and granting them asylum status. The Home Office gave refugees 28 days to find somewhere new to live before they are thrown out of the government-funded hotel. But reports say that due to the asylum application backlog, refugees are given very little time, as little as seven days, to find a new home.
Afghan Pilot Struggles to Find Home
The Afghan pilot, who was Air Force Lieutenant, says he is in turmoil as he also wants to be reunited with his wife and child who are still stuck in Afghanistan. “I am worried about homelessness. It has been about three months that I have been looking for a room, searching on websites but I have no luck. Others in my hotel have already been kicked out and some of them slept on the streets for about two weeks. I have been many times to the council but they just share room search websites with me.”
He described it as a very tricky problem and challenging. “If I don’t have any place to sleep, how can I find a job? If I find a job, where will I sleep?” The pilot hasn’t received an eviction notice yet, but has been warned by Migrant Help, a government-contracted charity, to expect a seven-day notice at any moment.
He has also been threatened with deportation to Rwanda.
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UK Government Failure
Stephen Kinnock, the Shadow Immigration Minister, rebuked the government for utterly failing. “Increasing refugee homelessness on our streets is the latest example of the Conservatives failing to get a grip of the chaos engulfing the asylum system. Refugees should not be left destitute, but too often the government is passing the buck to local councils who are already dealing with a housing crisis.”
Kinnock described the Tory Office as chaotic and incompetent. “The Tory Home Office is so chaotic and incompetent that it is utterly failing to fulfill this most basic function of government, and as a result we are seeing a significant upsurge in homelessness this winter.”
Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said the surge was symbolic of the UK’s broken asylum system. He said no one wants to see people who come to the UK for sanctuary left destitute on the streets. “But this is what is happening under this government.”
