Illegal Punjab immigrants now homeless in Southall

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London: The dreams of young illegal immigrants from Punjab, who reach Britain after paying agents thousands of pounds to smuggle them in, die a brutal death in the UK that itself is struggling with the economic slowdown.
The illegals from Punjab, who arrive in London’s Little India after mortgaging all assets in their villages, find quickly that golden dreams of earning lots just break down quickly.

The lack of jobs in the building trade, where a majority of illegal immigrants used to find work before the downturn, means most are homeless, surviving on the food served free daily from communal kitchens in gurdwaras. Southall’s population comprises of more than 55 per cent of South Asian origin, but Southall has always been a dumping ground for poor immigrants.
“When the Asians came in the 1950s and 1960s, they were dumped in Southall, and similarly so were Somalis and then the Afghans. Southall has always had deep-rooted problems — We had the National Front and racial riots in Southall, we had criminal gangs that led to rise in knife crime and gun crime including drugs, then we had the Muslim Sikh animosity and now we have drug addiction and issue of illegal immigrants being homeless,” says Randeep Lall, who along with his brother and two others started a charitable organisation called Sikh Welfare & Awareness Team, which works for the homeless and drug abusers.
Southhall is home to 14 gurudwaras, and most of them, thanks to the generous donations from devotees, are multi-million pound organisations. The attraction of Southall increases for Indian illegals, who are attracted by the same language and the guarantee of getting free food at the gurdwaras.
The illegals, known locally as Faujis, keep trying their hardest to find work, but it’s a gradual descent into hoplessness and despair. All the problems in Southall stem from heroin abuse — shoplifting, robberies, burglaries, and thefts — and to feed the habit.
“We have logged some 130 homeless people, most of whom are illegal immigrants, in Southall, but we know there are many more who are not willing to come forward because of pride. They don’t want to be exposed, they don’t want the people to know they are living on streets,” says Randeep.
The journey of the illegal immigrants from becoming homeless to becoming shoplifters, to becoming heroin-addicts and alcoholics, to becoming gambling addicts is very swift and the vicious circle keeps repeating itself, he reveals, adding that the illegal immigrants use heroin, alcohol, pop proxyvon pills, a drug sourced from India which shopkeepers sell under the counter. The illegals, numbering above 150, huddle together under bridges in Southall and Hounslow, including the M4 motorway overpass bridge, at nights. The unbearable stink of urine and the scattered needles and heroin jabs all are a stark reminder of how tough life is for these illegals.
“During the day, the illegal immigrants all hang around the betting shops or go to gurdwaras. Betting shop is one form of shelter during the day time. They have nowhere else to go. They keep looking for work, but work is really scarce now,” Randeep said.
“Some do get work, but they get paid a fraction of the legal limit. I got a group of six people yesterday who told me that they work nine hours unloading a container for a shopkeeper in Southall and they were paid £30 each. That’s good going.”
Sadly, even people hiring them try and cheat them of the money owed to them. “It is our community, our people who try and rob these people and sometimes not even pay them any money,” Randeep adds. The Southall activists are blaming the Indian high commission in London for not playing a proactive role in helping send these illegals back to India. The voluntary organisation has been sending illegals back to India and last year sent about 60 people back to India. “The Indian high commission is dragging its feet with the paperwork. They want the illegal immigrants to prove that they come from India and once they provide the proof, the men will be allowed to enter India. They are not going to help these men to prove their Indian origin,” Randeep said. “We have to convince the young men in India, in Punjab, to stop mortgaging everything and stop struggling to come to Britain,” he added.