A TRAFFICKING victim facing removal to Vietnam avoided deportation today.
Glasgow Greens councillor Kim Long tweeted a picture of her tears of joy as she broke the news to supporters of Duc Nguyen.
Long spearheaded the #DucMakesGlasgow campaign, which was backed by Green co-convener Patrick Harvie and others.
Thousands of people added their names to an online petition opposing his removal. Supporters also called on Qatar Airways to refuse to fly him and asked the government to change its mind.
Duc's asylum application was denied and he was taken into immigration detention before having the chance to meet with his MP, Labour's Paul Sweeney.
As eleventh hour appeals were made yesterday, the Home Office said it does not routinely comment on individual cases.
The removal order was made despite official acknowledgement that there were reasonable grounds to conclude that Duc, whose forced labour on a UK cannabis farm resulted in a prison sentence, had been trafficked.
The return flight was scheduled to leave Heathrow yesterday, but Nguyen was not forced to leave the UK.
The churchgoer, who is in his 40s and converted to Christianity in prison, had expressed fear for his life if taken back to Vietnam.
The threat was said to come from the drugs gang that brought him to the UK.
He remains in detention today and a crowdfunder has been launched to pay for legal help to secure bail.
Breaking the news, Long told followers they had "made sure Duc knew that he was not alone", but cautioned that the pause on his deportation does not mean the case is concluded, saying: "There's a long fight ahead still."
In a lengthy Twitter thread, she continued: "We made an amazing thing happen this week. You are all marvellous. For final FINAL words, over to Duc, who says, 'I just want to say thank you to everyone'."
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