The UK government said Chagossians were expected to make their own housing arrangements prior to travelling and argued the influx of arrivals was “completely unrelated” to the Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius.
The Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, then an overseas territory of the UK, was transformed into a military base in the 1960s and the entire population was forced to move out, mainly to Mauritius or the Seychelles.
But in 2002, a limited number of Chagossians were granted the right to full British citizenship. Several thousand now live in the UK, incuding an expat population of 3,000 in Crawley, West Sussex
Then in November 2022, the government launched a new British nationality route which was widened to all individuals of Chagossian descent, living anywhere in the world, permitting them to be recognised as British citizens free of charge.
Adults have five years, from 23 November 2022, to claim British nationality. Children born within the five-year application time have until they are 23 to apply.
This predated the the UK government’s decision this year to sign a deal to hand ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Under the deal, the UK has agreed to pay £101m annually for 99 years to keep control of the UK-US military base that was built on Diego Garcia – the largest of the islands.
The deal has not gone down well with many Chagossians, who see it as a betrayal and want to see the UK retain sovereignty over the islands so they can one day return to their homeland.
Some fear they could be prosecuted by Mauritian authorities for supporting UK sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
Damien Dursonial, 35, landed at Heathrow with his wife and two children, aged four and six, on Wednesday this week.
Born in Mauritius, where he worked as a police constable, Mr Dursonial saved up for two years and sold his motorcycle to pay for the flights to the UK.
“I came to the UK because it was the only place where we could feel safe, respected and recognised as a British citizen,” Mr Dursonial said.
“As a Chagossian in Mauritius, we faced real threats by simply identifying as British or supporting UK sovereignty over the Chagos islands.”
Mr Dursonial and his family have been placed in temporary accommodation by Hillingdon Council, in West London.
But he said: “The government should have done this because all this work is falling on a local council.
“It had to spend about £1.2m. Whereas ministers are giving away the Chagos Archipelago and taxpayer funds to Mauritius.”
