Mother facing political persecution who has lived in UK for 16 years to be deported to the Gambia 

A mother who has lived in the UK for 16 years has been told she will be deported next month to her native African country, despite the threat of her facing political persecution.

Fatou Tamba, 55, was detained by immigration officials in Liverpool on 26 March, and has been held for the last month at Derwentside IRC, where she claims to have been refused appropriate medical care and mental health support.

Her deportation to the Gambia, originally set for 22 April, was successfully halted – but she remains in detention, and her lawyer has now been served with a new removal date of 8 May.

Her brother Lamin Tamba, a British citizen, said: “Fatou and I have received death threats for our political views.

“If she is returned, she risks kidnapping, false imprisonment, or death. She has a family, a fiance, and a whole community who love her – she belongs here.”

Ms Tamba travelled to the UK in 2009 to visit her brother, deciding to remain due to the dangers posed by returning to the Gambia. Members of her family had been involved in political activism, and a change in the ruling party had led her to receive death threats.

She was also escaping an abusive marriage, having been married at the age of 14 to a man who was 30 years her senior. As a child bride, she had given birth to her son at the age of 15.

After several years of living in Birmingham, she relocated to Liverpool, where she has resided for the last eight years, and has become an active member of the refugee and asylum seeker community.

Despite applying for her right to remain, Ms Tamba’s asylum application was rejected in 2021, and she was required to report to an immigration office each month until she was granted leave to submit another request.

It was during one of these visits that she was detained by officials, despite never missing a single appointment over the last four years.

Her brother told The Independent that since being held at Derwentside IRC, a female-only facility that can hold 84 women, Fatou’s mental health has plummeted, and she has been served poor quality food such as plain rice with no sauce or accompanying dish.

“It’s horrible. I went to see her last Sunday, and the centre is not nice at all,” Mr Tamba said. “She’s lost two teeth since being in detention. They refused additional dental check-ups after they extracted two teeth.

“When she requested GP assistance for her medical conditions, it was refused. After our campaign organised a protest, they finally started granting her requests,” he added.

A spokesperson for Serco, the company that manages the Derwentside facility, said that Ms Tamba is offered a varied menu with hot and cold food choices, and has daily access to the healthcare centre.

Having never fallen foul of the law, Mr Tamba said his sister was finding the experience “difficult and traumatic”.

“The detention is worse than the removal notice because she’s never lost her freedom before. She’s not eating well, she’s not coping well and she has medical conditions that need regular supervision,” he said.

While in detention, she has submitted another application for a family visa, providing evidence that she has lived with her partner for more than two years, and that her closest family members reside in the UK.

Despite her family claiming that she met the relevant criteria, her application was once again rejected, with her lawyer informed on April 24 that her deportation will now take place in two weeks. Her legal team is challenging this.

“Being in Liverpool means everything, it’s the only city where she’s felt at home,” Mr Tamba said. “The people of Liverpool have welcomed her. Because of her infectious personality, she was able to integrate and is now part of the community.”

Maggy Moyo, campaigns lead and community organiser at Right to Remain, said: “Fatou’s fight is not over. She is still behind bars, still waiting for justice. We’ve stopped her deportation for now, but she should not be locked away at all. Fatou has given so much to our community. Now, we stand up for her.”

The Home Office has been approached for comment.