The son of a Windrush scandal victim has said the Home Office asked him to prove he was related to his father using a DNA test.
Dijoun Jhagroo-Bryan, 39, received a letter asking for further evidence of his relationship with his father, Anthony Bryan, 66, who was nearly deported in 2017 despite living in Britain for 50 years, as part of his compensation application.
Mr Jhagroo-Bryan said the request was “outrageous” and had upset his family further.The Home Office said Mr Jhagroo-Bryan did not have to provide DNA evidence after the BBC reached out about the case.
In 2018, it emerged that members of the Windrush generation, who came to the UK after the Second World War, were facing deportation and being denied access to healthcare, work, housing benefits, and pensions.
The government apologised after the members of the Windrush generation and their children were wrongly told they were in the UK illegally.Mr Bryan, 66, came to the UK from Jamaica when he was eight.
In 2017, he was arrested, held in a detention centre twice - once for nearly three weeks - and almost deported back to Jamaica.
His story was turned into a BBC drama in 2020.
Children of Windrush descendants are also eligible to apply for compensation if they can show they have suffered losses.
Mr Jhagroo-Bryan, 39, said he has been left with long-term trauma and financial losses, and his own children were affected after not being able to see their grandfather when he was detained.
But when Mr Jhagroo-Bryan applied for compensation he received a letter from the Home Office asking for more proof that Mr Bryan was his father.
The letter, seen by BBC News, stated he could voluntarily submit further evidence to support his application such as medical or school records as well as DNA evidence.
Mr Jhagroo-Bryan said: “It’s outrageous. Me submitting a DNA test doesn't change what I've gone through."
Mr Bryan added: “They’re at fault and still we have to fight this and fight that, do a DNA test and get the midwife.
“It’s degrading and, once again, it feels like the Home Office is insulting your intelligence."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Claims for the Windrush Compensation Scheme are considered on their individual merits.
"When necessary, further information may be requested to ensure we can issue the maximum award available, at the earliest point possible and we will support individuals on how to provide further evidence.”
They added: “The government is committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and making sure those who are eligible and entitled to compensation under the Windrush Compensation Scheme receive the compensation they rightly deserve."
