Steve Cooke

An asylum seeker has described how people smugglers threatened to kill his children after he raised fears their small boat was unsafe to travel in.

Rasoul, an Iranian Kurd who now lives in Derby, said he was forced on to a dinghy crossing the Channel At Gunpoint with his young son and daughter.

His Family had paid a criminal gang to get him out of Iran where He Said his life was in danger.

Rasoul is still being processed.

The 37-year-old said he had confronted The Smugglers on his journey from Iran before The Boat left for the UK.

He told The Bbc he had had no idea where he was or where The People smugglers planned to take him when they ordered him and his children on to a boat already overloaded with people.

He Said The Smugglers had chosen his destination for him, adding: " It was evening time. They said 'You have to go in The Boat ', but we could not see anything in front of us. "

He Said he had objected but The Smugglers had had a gun and drew a knife telling him " You want to kill Your Children or do you want to go? "

Rasoul said: " I said it was only a small boat and you put like 20 people inside.

" They said 'Don't care, just go'.

" It was Very Scary . They said if I didn't go they would Kill Me or they would kill The Children . There was no choice. "

Rasoul arrived in the UK in 2020. He is studying Electrical Engineering and doing voluntary work at the Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity charity.

The Charity has written to MPs warning it is being overwhelmed by asylum seekers seeking support.

It said a national Backlog in dealing with claims is preventing asylum seekers finding work and being able to support themselves financially while staying in government-designated hotels.

The Charity 's chairman Steve Cooke said: " We have Such huge demand now for clothes and community activities from all the hotels in the surrounding area.

" The Key point is that people are waiting 15 or 16 months before having their first immigration meeting to make a decision.

" They are waiting for a decision to be made and it could be made quickly but they are waiting in hotels and hostels with nothing to do.

" We cannot cope any longer here.

" It's becoming unsustainable. "

At The End of June 2022 there were almost 100,000 asylum claims waiting for an initial decision from the Home Office .

One reason for the increased Backlog - which is two and a half times higher than at The End of 2019 - is The Rise in number of asylum applications.

In 2021, there were 48,450 applications, compared to 63,089 So Far in 2022. Large increases in small boat crossings have driven this trend.

A Home Affairs Committee report published over the summer said that " antiquated IT systems, high staff turnover, and too few staff are among the reasons for this slow pace".

The asylum Backlog has left thousands of asylum seekers waiting in short term accommodation - Such as hotels - which is costing the government around £5. 6m per day.

The pressure in the asylum system worsened during the pandemic as people were prevented from being moved on to long-term accommodation because of the lockdown.

A Home Office spokesperson said: " The Number of people arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels, placing unprecedented pressures on the asylum system.

" The Home Office and partners identify sites for accommodation based on whether they are safe and available.

" While we accept that hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do offer safe, secure and clean accommodation and We Are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation during this challenging time. "

Source of news: bbc.com