'I kept asking myself why?'

Holly Bancroft meets a Syrian refugee detained for 25 days at Gatwick for removal to Rwanda before being released on bail

- Holly Bancroft

A Syrian refugee due to be deported from the UK on one of the first flights to Rwanda has spoken about the constant nightmares, anxiety and despair he experienced during 25 days in detention.

Mohammad Al Kharewsh, 25, said he kept questioning why he was among the first chosen and became increasingly depressed during his time in Gatwick detention centre.

His arrival in the UK in 2022 had seen him reunited with his brother, who was granted asylum in the UK as a minor, and the prospect of being separated again was “extremely intimidating”, he said.

Mohammad was one of more than 100 asylum seekers rounded up by the Home Office in May ahead of planned deportation flights to Rwanda.

The same day the Home Office released a video of asylum seekers being rounded up for deportation in a move Labour described as “a desperate attempt by the Tories to look tough”.

Many have now been released on bail after Rishi Sunak said that flights will only go ahead if he wins the 4 July election. Labour has pledged to scrap the £290m scheme if it wins the election.

Speaking at the office of a charity following his release on bail, Mohammad said he felt compelled to flee Syria in 2022 due to the pressure of joining either president Bashar al-Assad’s army or the resistance forces.

The UK used to have a dedicated resettlement route for those fleeing the Syrian war, but this ended in 2021, so there was no safe route to use.

Anyone who came to the UK irregularly after 1 January 2022, such as Mohammad who arrived via small boat, is in scope for removal to Rwanda under Mr Sunak’s scheme.

Mohammad, who has been living with his brother in Acton, was detained during a routine reporting visit to immigration on 1 May.