What is Paulette Wilson?
'''Paulette Wilson''' (1956 – 23 July 2020) was a British immigrant rights activist. She fought her own [[deportation]] to Jamaica and brought media attention to the [[human rights]] violations of the [[Windrush scandal]]. Under the terms of the [[British Nationality Act 1948]], Wilson had arrived in England as citizens of the [[British Empire]]. In 2015, Wilson received notification from the government that she was an illegal immigrant and was required to leave the UK.{{sfn|Gentleman|2017}}{{sfn|Gentleman|Campbell|2020}} Her housing and health care benefits were stopped. She became homeless and was denied the right to seek work.{{sfn|Gentleman|2017}}{{sfn|Gentleman|2018}} By 2017, Wilson was facing deportation. She had not returned to Jamaica for 50 years, but was arrested twice,{{sfn|Gentleman|2020b}} detained in [[Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre|Yarl's Wood Detention Centre]] and then sent to the deportation centre at [[Heathrow Airport]] in October 2017. The Refugee and Migrant Centre of [[Wolverhampton]] persuaded her MP, [[Emma Reynolds]], to stop the deportation at the last minute to allow Wilson more time to appeal to the [[Home Office]].{{sfn|Gentleman|2017}}{{sfn|Gentleman|Campbell|2020}} In 2018, she was officially granted leave to remain. Wilson died on 23 July 2020 in Wolverhampton, [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], England at the age of 64.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53521408 Paulette Wilson: Windrush campaigner who faced deportation dies aged 64]</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Paulette}} [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:2020 deaths]] [[Category:British activists]] {{bio-stub}}