Keep your nose clean when abroad

Working in the [United Kingdom] Immigration Service as a middle level officer, I do I see a lot of things our Ghanaian Brothers and sisters do that boggles my imagination.

They get picked up and deported for little things like calling the police to arguments with their partners. Evading or failing to buy tickets to travel on the bus or the trains. Police callouts to an extremely noisy party where you find some persons who are unable to prove their identity. And there are those that get picked up for the big things, crime related, like drug dealing, theft, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Using fake papers to try to claim Government benefits when not entitled to, Using fake papers to try to open a bank account, driving a car without insurance, or road tax, or a driving licence, etc. Why would anybody be so dumb to do stupid things like that?

Why do they not behave/comport themselves and stay with the programme that they promised their family to follow just before they climbed on that flight to leave Ghana? Ghana is not a very wealthy nation.

A lot of families pool resources to try to sponsor a member of the family abroad in the hope that when that member 'makes it' they will also reap benefits. Time and time again, Ghanaian brothers and sisters come abroad and get so desperate to make money or get so caught up in the westernised lifestyle that they make mistakes which lead them down the path of forcible return (deportation) to Ghana.

While I recognise that due to the situation, a lot of our people cannot remain in Europe legally. However, it is possible to remain in the system illegally for a very long time, work hard, and keep your nose clean by being as law abiding as practicably possible.

Claiming asylum these days does not pay either, as the political situation in Ghana has changed, and changes in laws in the UK have made it possible to fast track such asylum cases.

Personally, I do feel sorry for some of them those who are victims of circumstances, but then there are those who blatantly ignore the law and do not have my sympathies. The way I see it, brothers and sisters, do try to keep your nose clean. Buy your tickets when you travel on the bus or the trains and do nothing stupid to attract attention to yourself when you know you have no papers to be here lawfully. Surely, that cannot be too difficult. Of course, there is always the risk of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Anyway, a word to the wise is…