ACCORDING to the latest figures on deportations and detentions 405 people were deported from this country and a further 2,360 were declined entry and forcibly removed. In 1998 there were 7,185 deportations and 27,590 forcible removals.

The latest pernicious attempt to keep refugees and immigrants out of Britain had its third reading in the House of Commons in June this year. The government amended its original proposal (to cut benefits to those claiming asylum to £1 per day for adults and 50p for children) to allow them to claim £10 per week per person. The £3 extra for adults and £6.50 for children will still be deducted from the total benefits allocated in both cash and vouchers.

However big or small the voucher component in the meagre benefits given to asylum seekers eventually turns out to be, the only winners from the system will be the supermarkets. Many refugees have already been handed vouchers which they can use at one specific outlet only.

The government's determination to proceed with emergency powers to disperse asylum seekers throughout Britain only enforces the myth that we are being swamped by a tide of refugees when, in reality, Britain is one of the hardest countries for asylum seekers to enter and the tiny number that arrive here are only a small percentage of the world's refugees. Having fled war, poverty and persecution refugees are often forced to spend months in detention centres.

They face a massive bureaucracy to receive what nominal benefits are on offer. Instead of being allowed to work and contribute to the economy, they are seen as a problem which racists are keen to exploit.

Ms Lees

Astley Bridge, Bolton

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