'Detained pupils are innocent victims' (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

'Detained pupils are innocent victims'

1:35pm Saturday 29th November 2008

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The headteacher of four young Bradford schoolchildren being removed from the UK with their illegal immigrant parents says they are innocent victims.

Lloyd Mason-Edwards, head of Peel Park Primary, has written to immigration authorities about his concerns and has met officials from the office of Bradford North Labour MP Terry Rooney.

Twins Ziyad and Bahidja Zighem, six, their sister Rahima, four, and three-year-old brother Hani, are being held, along with two-year-old brother Zinedine, and their mother Lazazi Akila, 31, at an immigration removal centre. Their father, Mestah Zighem, 42, is being detained at a separate centre as the family awaits removal back to Algeria.

Mr Mason-Edwards said he had received a call from the father, who had worked at the school as a security guard for several months, on October 20, saying they had been taken from their beds at 6am, put in a car and driven to an immigration centre.

Mr Mason-Edwards said: “My concern is for the children. They are the innocent victims.

“They have been held in captivity for 33 days and I am concerned about their physical and mental welfare.

“Their classmates are missing them. They are bright, lovely and engaging children who would make fantastic British citizens. They have done nothing wrong.”

He added: “The Government says that every child matters. But it seems these children don’t matter, even though they were born and brought up in the UK.”

In his letter to the authorities Mr Mason-Edwards said the older children had developed academically and socially extremely well and a great deal of resources had been invested in educating and making them feel part of the community. They had developed strong bonds with teachers and the other children.

In correspondence with Mr Zighem’s solicitors, the UK Border Agency said he was an “overstayer”, having failed to leave the UK after the expiry of a six-month family reunion visa granted in 2000. It said an asylum and human rights claim by his wife was refused in January 2004, as was an appeal three months later.

A spokesman for the Agency said: “We only seek to remove families who are in the UK unlawfully after independent courts have agreed they have no further right to remain in the UK.

“We would much rather that failed asylum seekers accepted that fact and left voluntarily.”

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Your Say YourBradford

Reckless, Adelaide says...
1:52pm Sat 29 Nov 08

Are they law abiding? Are they likely to put money back in to the system if kept in the UK? From what Lloyd Mason-Edwards is saying about these children the answer is YES, eventually they will get jobs and as he puts it be fantastic Citizens. The UK seems intent on letting the worst types in and kicking the better candidates out. Why? Because they are easy targets who don't hide. It's easy pickings and makes the government look like they are doing something worthwhile for when the figure crunching, statistic counting bureaucrats stand up and count themselves.

I have a suggestion which I'm sure the majority of the UK people would agree with. THREE STRIKES and you are out, out of the country, back to where you started. Get rid of the garbage that is out there committing crime, driving about in flash cars and living in nice houses without legitimate income. Keep the people in the UK who will make Britain great again.

I'm well out of it and will stay out of it as I'm one of the lucky ones who had an opportunity to get out. It does though still annoy when you read these ridiculous reports.

GIVE 'EM A CHANCE. Hands up if you agree?