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Campaigners fear for Syrian refugee facing deportation to Denmark

A SYRIAN refugee is facing removal to Denmark on Friday, despite concerns over the country’s attempts to deport Syrians to Damascus, campaigners say. 

Remi Ali, 31, is said to have attempted suicide while being held at Colnbrook immigration detention centre, near Heathrow, because he is “terrified” of being deported to Denmark.

In 2019, the Danish government began revoking the temporary residence permits of hundreds of Syrians, claiming that the security situation in Damascus had “improved significantly.” 

The Home Office said the Syrian national was being removed under the government's new inadmissibility rules which allow removals of asylum seekers who have passed through or have a connection with a "safe" third country.
 
Official figures released in August show that no returns under the new rules were made in the first six months of the new policy, which came into effect in January 2021, despite more than 4,500 asylum seekers being given notice of intent to remove them to EU countries.
 
It's understood the lack of removals is due to the British government's failure to secure bilateral agreements with EU countries willing to take in deported asylum seekers. 
 
If Mr Ali is removed, it could be the first known deportation to take place under the new rules. 
 
A Home Office spokesperson said:
 
“People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. That is why we made changes last year to declare an asylum claim inadmissible where someone has been granted asylum in another safe country.
 
“The government’s New Plan for Immigration will fix the system, making it firm on those who abuse it and fair on those in genuine need.”
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