An undocumented man from Pakistan who has lived in London for 10 years is being “forced to return” to his home country by the UK government even though he says he “will be killed” if he goes back.
Ashiq Bhutta, who lives in Kilburn, North West London, came to the capital in January 2011 to do a business management course at an East London college.
The 49-year-old graduated and has since worked as an electrician in North London.
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Now the UK government is looking to deport Ashiq for being undocumented despite him having lived and worked in the country for 10 years.
But Ashiq claims if he returns to Pakistan he will be “murdered”.
He told My London: “I was involved in a land dispute with my cousin that ended up with him stabbing me in the neck. I was lucky to survive but knew I had to get out of the country.
“I came here with the basic right to save my life. Other undocumented people have the same problem as me. If I go back I will die.
“Before the government send me back I will kill myself, it would be better for me to die here. I know this is not my country but I am a human being and I am desperate.”
Ashiq argues he should have a right to stay in the UK because of his contributions to the economy, despite being “massively underpaid”, getting £700 a month.
“I help the UK economy. But where I am working I am suffering too,” he added – pointing out that undocumented migrants are often exploited by being underpaid.
On Monday (July 19) Ashiq and others are protesting in Westminster while the issue is discussed in Parliament after a petition was signed by over 100,00 people.
The petition is calling for the government to grant an amnesty of five years to undocumented migrants with no criminal records so that they can “live their lives as normal human beings and pay tax to help the UK economy”.
According to a report commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in 2020, there are an estimated 700,000 undocumented migrants currently living in the UK, with more than half of them (400,000) living in London.
There are now estimated to be 215,000 undocumented children in the UK.
Munya Radzi, founder of the campaign group Regularise, told My London: “People are suffering and struggling.
“The quality of life for undocumented people needs to be improved. We want people to be granted the right to work, to rent, to marry. None of these can be done at the moment.
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“For a lot of people, like Ashiq, this is home. A third of undocumented migrants been here and worked here for over 10 years.”
He went on to talk about the challenges undocumented migrants face in the UK.
The 34-year-old, from Walthamstow, said: “Undocumented people are being exploited by employers by paying low wages for crazily long days or firing them when suits them.
“They can’t even go to the police because it will essentially blow their cover and put them in an even worse position.
“There are also lots of cases of sexual exploitation of women. A lot of the time women need somewhere to live as they’re not allowed to rent, and males can often end up abusing them or taking advantage of them as they know they can’t go to the police.”
Munya argued: “These people are contributing and participating in society in huge ways, and they want to.”
In response, a Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal migrants who work here undercut honest employers, put vulnerable migrants at risk of exploitation, cheat legitimate job seekers out of employment and defraud the public purse.
“It is crucial therefore that we tackle illegal migration, and we are bringing forward a new plan for immigration that is fair but firm, which will stop the abuse of the system and expedite the removal of those who have no right to be here.”
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