An asylum seeker who was recognised for his voluntary work in the pandemic is facing deportation for a second time this year. Richard Nomba, 50, fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018 after escaping jail where he was being held due to his opposition to the government.
Mr Nomba is now at "risk of imminent deportation" according to Stand up to Racism volunteer Alice Greenlees who is fighting to keep him in the UK just months after he was given a reprieve. The Democratic Republic of Congo is unsafe in many areas and politically turbulent. The UK Government advises against all travel to certain regions of the country and opponents and critics of the are particularly at risk. Ms Greenlees said: "Opposition of the government in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not welcome, he is likely to face heavy punishment and he would not be free to speak up for justice and democracy."
Mr Nomba arrived in the UK in 2018 and was originally sent to Cardiff for three weeks until accommodation was found for him in Swansea. As soon as he moved to Swansea, Mr Nomba started volunteering at Swansea's Oxfam shop and later at the Congolese Development Project as well as Swansea City of Sanctuary. Speaking about his voluntary work in the city, he said: "If they needed help I was there". He has made the city his home, saying: "I love Swansea, it's very lovely and friendly".
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His contributions to the local community during the pandemic were recognised by the National Lottery and he was honoured for delivering parcels of food and cleaning products to those in need during lockdown. Mr Nomba told the National Lottery: "Volunteering has helped me a lot too, especially during this pandemic. It’s good to get out of the house and feel like I can be useful to people who have been through a lot."
Mr Nomba was arrested in Democratic Republic of Congo and jailed before escaping and fleeing to Swansea in 2018. His wife was also arrested and she, along with their children, are currently living in South Africa. Mr Nomba has not seen his family since 2018.
He was an opponent to the government and said: "We are not free to express ourselves. People are dying everyday. There is no peace there." While in prison, Mr Nomba said he was denied access to a lawyer and was abused. "I was arrested and they treated me very, very bad," he said.
Mr Nomba escaped prison after managing to bribe a prison warden and travelled across the country to an airport where he fled to the UK. He arrived in Swansea in June 2018 and since then has been applying for asylum. Mr Nomba received legal aid from a solicitors based in Newport but his claim for asylum was rejected by the court and he was unable to appeal, the solicitors were no longer able to provide free support and Mr Nomba could not afford to pay them to keep working on the case.
At 6am on Tuesday, June 21, Mr Nomba was taken from his home in Brynhyfryd by immigration law enforcement to Brook House Immigration Removal Centre at Gatwick Airport. While he was at the immigration removal centre he received help from support groups in Swansea including Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team (EYST) and the Congolese Development Project trying to help him with legal advice. He was then told he would receive free legal support from Duncan Lewis Solicitors and was released on Friday, June 24, while his case was reassessed.
On his release from the immigration removal centre, Mr Nomba was asked to report to the police station on a regular basis while his case was being looked at and it was on one of these routine visits that he was detained for a second time. On Monday, August 8, Mr Nomba was taken from the police station by law enforcement to Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre. Ms Greenlees said: "I think it's particularly cruel and hard for him because he was released and had expected that his case would be allowed to proceed through the legal channels and suddenly, he was arrested again. To me, that's not a fair and democratic process and it's particularly hard on the individual."
Since June, Mr Nomba has been prescribed anti-depressants and says he suffers from high blood pressure and was not sleeping due to stress. While in detention again, he is having daily blood pressure checks and said: "I am stressing a lot. I can't sleep a lot from my case".
At the centre, he is sharing a room with one other person and said the centre is very noisy and busy and there is not much to do there. As part of his application to remain, he requires a medical report for his solicitor, but now back in custody he is struggling to see the centre's doctor. He said the centre's doctor can only see two people a day and he is currently number 42 in the queue.
Ms Greenlees has started a petition on change.org to stop Mr Nomba being deported. Mr Nomba said that seeing the petition "touched my heart". Mr Nomba said that "Swansea showed me their love" and he continues to get calls every day from organisations and individuals in Swansea showing their support which he really appreciates.
A spokesperson from the Home Office said: "Detention is an important part of the immigration system in order to help remove people who are here illegally, encourage compliance and to protect the public. All decisions to detain people are based on careful consideration of the facts and we are keen to ensure that individuals are detained for no longer than necessary. Our New Plan for Immigration will fix the broken system; making it fair to those in genuine need and firm on those who seek to abuse it."
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