Perspectives

Current issues

The Windrush generation, referred to in Andrea Levy’s article “This is my England”, has been at the centre of a scandal in British politics recently. Many Caribbean immigrants, members of the Windrush generation, did not obtain full citizenship when they moved to the UK and the UK Home Office has attempted to deport them, even though they have lived in the UK since the 1950s and 1960s. The event became known as the Windrush scandal.

The members of the Windrush generation had a legal right to come to England since they were all part of former British Empire colonies and were considered British subjects. Therefore, they were not given any documents to show they are British citizens when they arrived in the UK. Even when immigration and deportation laws changed, the members of the Windrush generation were not given any documentations, because they were considered automatically protected from deportation. However, starting from 2012, hostile immigration and deportation policies have made it increa...