Morning:
13°c
US church volunteers barred from Britain under terror law
Peter Gruner29.06.09
A group of religious volunteers who saved for a year to visit Britain were left in tears after they were turned away under "anti-terror" rules.
The 14 American Methodists were planning to renovate an Islington church and sightsee in London during a nine-day trip costing £10,000.
But they were refused entry at Gatwick after failing to fill in the correct forms, and claim they were "treated like criminals". Pastor Jim Dawson, who led the group from the First United Methodist Church of Okeechobee, Florida, said he had "pleaded and pleaded" with immigration officials for his party to be able to stay.
"I said, 'Have mercy. We're a church group. We're not terrorists. We're not threatening anyone's national security." People were crying when they heard they were being sent back. We'd all been looking forward to the visit for so long. This law is without compassion or understanding.
"All we wanted to do was to help our sister church in Islington prepare for its anniversary and do a bit of sightseeing. We'd pre-booked for the musical Wicked at the Apollo theatre and planned to go to Windsor Castle and have a decent cup of English tea."
Under rules designed to deter illegal workers and potential terrorists, all religious workers and charity workers are required to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship and a visa. American tourists do not require visas.
The group believed they did not need a sponsorship form as they only were volunteering for a few days. However immigration officers at Gatwick said that as the visit included voluntary work the group should be classified as charity workers rather than tourists - and could not be admitted without a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Officials then fingerprinted the group, who arrived at 6.40am on Tuesday, and sent them back on two separate flights four hours later.
The group had held a series of fundraising events to pay for the trip, but will now lose the £10,000 cost of pre-booked hotels, theatre and sightseeing trips.
They had planned to spend four days painting Islington Central Methodist Church in Liverpool Road for an anniversary celebration yesterday, when the building was due to be rededicated.
The group is back in Florida after more than 20 hours on flights to and from Britain.
The Rev Paul Weary, of Islington Central Methodist Church, had asked whether the group could be admitted as tourists on assurance they would not engage in any prohibited unpaid work, but officials refused.
He said: "It is extraordinary that individuals offering a few days of unpaid work should fall into the same category as charity workers staying in the UK for a year."
Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry said: "They were only painting a church. This is a question of scale. I suggest the officers should have looked more carefully at the discretion they have."
A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "All migrants, not just charity workers, coming to the UK to work or study require a Certificate of Sponsorship. Anyone without this certificate and the right visa will be refused entry."
Reader views (17)
I think a bit of discretion and common sense would have been welcome here, they're a bunch of christian kids from the most prosperous nation in the world, not sponging terrorist sympathisers. Not that sponging terrorist sympathisers have much problem getting in the country.
- Julio, York, UK
Yes, completely moronic. But I have to say that very little done by UKBA surprises me any more. As with many recent visa-related matters that I have heard about and witnessed at first hand recently, I am left completely ashamed to be British and not surprised that people are choosing alternative holiday and study destinations. Tier 4 is a complete fiasco, orchestrated by people who obviously aren't bright enough to flip burgers. Only a change of government is going to start the healing process: at least the Opposition recognise the devastating damage that this is all doing to UK plc.
- David Jones, Bournemouth, UK
Well, you never hear 'bad' stories of tourists or Americans for that matter coming into the UK - its usually the other way round, US Officials giving the hard time and even using abuse sometimes, as one other poster mentioned. Even though I sympathize to a certain extent with these Americans, I do not sympathize 100%, because this is the kind of attitude us UK visitors get when we visit the US. About time they got a taste of their bitter medicine. As a person who has attempted legal ways to work in the US without any joy of working around their fruitless paths of immigration to the US (even temporarily), its about time Americans know the feeling. Without a doubt if i did the same in their country, I would have most probably been abused and detained in a jail cell before my flight back into the UK....
- Neelam Jahwari, London
Those of us in the UK English language business (British Council accredited schools) will not be surprised by this mindless application of officious overkill. Our businesses are suffering every day with new visa regulations designed in ignorance and applied without proper care and attention. We have spurious visa refusals from all over the world every day damaging our businesses, UK income and our reputation as a friendly and efficient destination for students. It's time this Tier 4 nonsense was exposed.
- Steve Hirschhorn, Oxford (GB)
It is quite amazing that there are some more terrorist who are on charity job for Islington Central Methodist Church.Certificate of Sponsorship means that you are virtual prisoner. Honesty is that bad policy, I think there is jungle law in the name of terrorist. Goood Examle???????
- Chishty, Lahore
Indeed. This sort of mindless nonsense usually comes from humourless 300 pounder immigration officials on the other side of the pond. On a recent visit to NY, my (English) friend had her passport marked on her way in (basically, the immigration official took a dislike to her as she hadn't been able to resist giving a mildly sarcastic response to a fairly idiotic line of questioning). On her way ouy of the country she was taken aside for "questioning". At one stage she was punched in the stomach by a very large official. Any point in complaining?
- Nik Cholerton, Fulham, London
What a shambles! The Government panics about migration, makes stupid speeches about 'British jobs for British workers' and all they manage to achieve is to turn away good people who are coming to do voluntary work at their own expense. Thousands of Brits go on holiday to Florida each year, but when it comes to a handful of volunteers from Florida, we say no? It's madness.
Emily Thornberry MP takes the biscuit. Immigration officers do not have discretion (what next, bribing or threatening them to exercise that discrtion?) they are there to apply the rules, rules that she voted for. If she thinks the rules are wrong she should say so. These hypocrites make me sick.
- Ben Springe, London E1
No you can't come in, you have to be a terrorist to get in this country, they will then house you and give you money as long as you vote the Nazi government run by Her Gordon Brown.
This country stinks and the sooner this shower of traitors are out then the sooner we can have them imprisoned, all of them. What these people must think of our country now is just shocking. I wonder who were the people telling them they had to go back, as they should be on the traitors list also.
- Chris, Wirral England
This is indeed typical of the petty mean small-minded officials you'll find at the lower levels of every bureaucracy. However, in one way I'm glad it happened to Americans. The USA government, and especially its "homeland security" functionaries, are amongst the worst in the world for this sort of thing. Remember when they arrested Cat Stevens (travelling under his Islamic name) because he shared a name with a known terrorist (and about ten million other innocent people)? Remember how they recently did the same to a ten-year-old child? Heard how you can be denied entry to the USA because the last time you left, someone lost the small bit of card that they detached from your passport, so their computer thinks you overstayed your visa last time?
- Nigel, London
How petty, mean and small minded can you get?
I am angry about this, it makes our nation look like a bunch of retarded ingrates.
- Mike Bossingham, Market Deeping, UK
Whilst we have lots of home grown god botherers this group should definitely have ben let in. They were self funding and had no reason to overstay their visit. seems we only let in the indolent lazy workshy and benefit claiming. Viva Nu Liebour for look how wonderful 12 years of Labour Lunacy has left the country. Vote them back in please I could do with a laugh!
- Ethan, UK
What kind of an impression does this leave people of the sort of welcome we should give from the UK? Generous folk who want to help are treated like terrorists. Let's have some sense of scale here. I understand the need to deal with the real dangers but please - doesn't anyone have common sense any more?
- Gareth Hill, Truro, UK
Agree that it sounds like the immigration people are very harsh and the rules does not fully make sense. However, am 100% certain from own experience that this American group got a royal treatment compared to what happens if a foreigner do not follow the correct procedure in US immigration ...
- Jakob, London
Illegal immigrant? Criminal? Health Tourist? - Welcome to UK - how can we give our taxpayers money to you?
Come to do some good and spend some money? Terrorists! Go back to where you came from!
- Andrea, Aylesbury
Try turning up at US immigration with a similar story and see what happens!
- Roy, England
Ridiculous! Is this a typical example of the petty, mean, small-minded officials running the UK these day? No wonder you´re going down the drain!
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
Do you know how much harder it is to try and get into the US without all the correct paperwork?
Do you know that the extradition treaty we have with the States is heavily weighed in favour of the US?
Rules is rules dude, if we allowed just anybody in from anywhere doing some unpaid work, how many do you think would return to their own country?
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
