'Don't send us back to die'

From the archive, first published Monday 5th Mar 2007.

A seven-year-old girl today begged the Government not to send her family to their deaths.

Julia Christiane, her mother Mary Mendoza and new-born sister Angel face deportation to the Philippines where they say their lives are in peril.

Mrs Mendoza, 36, fled to England with Julia in February last year after her husband, cousin and a 14-month-old boy relative, were murdered in a feud over land ownership.

But the family's bid for asylum has been rejected at a Home Office Immigration Tribunal last June and they are now desperately trying to appeal on the grounds that they face death if they are forced to return.

Julia, who attends Bowling Park Primary School, Bradford, said she felt safe in Bradford.

She said: "Bradford is beautiful and nice and I feel happy here. I have loads of friends and my classmates help me."

The family are living in temporary accommodation in West Bowling where a vigil was being held today by people trying to help them fight the deportation order.

An operation by immigration officials to forcibly deport the family in January was eventually abandoned because Mrs Mendoza was then heavily pregnant with her daughter who was born on Sunday, February 25.

She said she was terrified they would return before she was granted an appeal hearing.

"I am very scared but I am trying to be strong for my daughter. At her age the problem for her is too much, but she is very brave and is always the one who comforts me."

Breaking down in tears she continued: "When I think about my daughter and baby, I feel worried for them. If we go back to my country, we don't know what will happen to us. How can I trust them after what they have done to my family?

"My children are safe here. I am not going to give up."

The family's supporters include Bradford West MP Marsha Singh, the Reverend Chris Howson, City Centre Mission Priest for the Bradford Church of England Diocese, Sue Hardcastle, head teacher of Bowling Park Primary, volunteers at the Bradford Immigration and Asylum Support and Advice Network (BIASAN) and refugee organisation Leeds No Borders.

Mr Howson said the United Nation's Melo report published last week, which is disputing the safety rating of the Philippines, might be the evidence they need to support the appeal. He said he considered the family's treatment by immigration officials as being among the worst he had seen.

He said: "How they have treated this pregnant woman, now with a new-born child, is disgusting. Anyone with children would know what a vulnerable time it is when a women gives birth. This women needs our support and care, instead she is living in fear of deportation, perhaps to her death."

Mr Singh, a Labour backbencher, said: "When a decision has been made at a tribunal to refuse asylum it is very difficult to do anything to help but it seems Mary has new evidence to give to a tribunal.

"And under the brutal circumstances in which she came to this country, and in light of the fact that she has a newly-born baby, I am happy to support her."

Tansy Newman-Turner, 21, a volunteer at Bradford Immigration and Asylum Support and Advice Network, is one of the students taking part in today's vigil.

She said: "I think this is horrific treatment of people. They say her claim is weak but the bottom line is that she will die if she goes back and people should be able to find somewhere safe to live."

Mrs Hardcastle said she was amazed how Julia, who joined her school last April, was coping with the situation.

She said: "She doesn't talk about the family problems at school, but we know she is aware of them because she told her class teacher that if she goes back to the Philippines she will die. She keeps it to herself and I can't imagine how she must feel. She always smiles and is very popular with the children, polite and very well mannered."

A Home Office spokesman said it did not comment on individual cases.

But she said: "The Government will take a robust approach to remove people from the country who are found not to be in need of international protection.

"We would only return those asylum seekers who are not at risk of persecution and do not need international protection."

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