'You live in fear that they will deport you to the place you are running away from': Former asylum detainee speaks out

David, 49, has been detained and subject to UK immigration controls since he fled persecution in Kenya 17 years ago

David, 49, arrived in the UK in 2001 after fleeing political persecution and human rights abuses in Kenya. A gay man, he had received death threats over his sexuality, and his work for the government had led to him being stabbed on the street.

“It’s still happening now, it’s even worse,” he says of the homosexuality laws in his country. “Many people who are gay there have been disowned by their families. People are assaulted in gay prides; people have to wear masks.”

His partner left Kenya four years before him, and was quickly granted refugee status. But when David claimed leave to remain based on family life in 2013, after 11 years of being in the UK, his claim was refused and his appeal dismissed.

Seventeen years after arriving in Britain, David is still trying to get refugee status.

“You’re forever thinking you’ll be put on the next flight and they will deport you to the place you are running away from," he says. “This keeps on winding you up. That fear comes and overwhelms you."

In 2015, David was taken to immigration detention. After two and half months in Colnbrook IRC he was released on mental health grounds.

Now he is required to report to the Home Office every two weeks while he awaits a decision on his asylum claim.

"If you’re a documented immigrant and you’re complying with reporting, why should they tell you that you can still be detained?" David asks.

“You are trying to move on. You are giving your story and your case so you can be included in society. It’s very humiliating."

David is one of thousands of asylum seekers detained in the UK each year and locked up for an unlimited period of time with no support, in some cases for several years.

"Your mental health deteriorates, I am homeless; I have got so many health issues. How are you going to survive, buy food, pay rent, if you cannot work?" the 49-year-old asks.

"I am destitute. I cannot even afford to go to report. It is a struggle for me to get the bus fare, but I make sure I go there every two weeks."

The Red Cross is now calling for significant reforms including a 28-day limit on detention and for the “overly onerous and traumatic” experience of immigration reporting to be overhauled.