Hundreds protest at deportations

Hundreds of people gathered outside the centre

Hundreds of people have demonstrated outside a Home Office centre over plans to deport failed asylum seekers back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The government is sending people back to the central African country after they fled to the UK during a civil war, which ended in 2003.

Two people were arrested as protesters gathered outside the Immigration Advisory Centre in Solihull.

There are fears it is unsafe for asylum seekers to return to DR Congo.

'Lot of tension'

Michael Misindu, of the Birmingham-based Central African Development Action charity, said: "There's no security and it is not yet stable there. The new government has put in place structures but it is not today or tomorrow.

"War is going on in the east of Congo and there's a lot of tension in (the capital) Kinshasa."

He said that 58 people were deported to DR Congo in March.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We only return those who the asylum decision making and independent appeals processes have found do not need international protection and who can therefore return safely.

"We consider it reasonable to expect an individual in that position to return to their source country, and if they do not depart voluntarily we may enforce their return in due course."