Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick condemns “naive” government as dinghy migrant posts videos from Band-e Amir tourist destination after winning UK asylum
The Home Office has launched an urgent investigation into an Afghan asylum seeker who was granted protection in Britain after arriving on a small boat, only to post videos of himself holidaying in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The man, who uses the name DG Usama on social media, filmed himself arriving in Britain on a packed dinghy in April 2022 before later documenting his apparent return to Afghanistan for a summer holiday in 2024. The revelation comes as Channel crossings have reached record levels, with 32,190 asylum seekers crossing in 2025, the highest for this point in any year.
Usama posted videos showing himself at Band-e Amir National Park, Afghanistan’s first national park that draws more than 100,000 local and foreign tourists annually. The park, described as Afghanistan’s Grand Canyon National Park, features six deep-blue lakes in the Hindu Kush mountains and is a popular tourist destination with swan-shaped pedalos and boat hire facilities.
From Calais to Kabul and Back
The Afghan national first entered Britain as one of 2,143 migrants who crossed the Channel in April 2022. In a brazen 16-second clip posted to his followers, he posed wearing a red lifejacket issued by people smugglers, panning his camera to show others waving as they crossed from Calais. He captioned the video “Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) now I am in UK.”
After being rescued by an RNLI cutter boat, Usama spent 2023 posting videos from British landmarks including Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, Brighton beach and the white cliffs of Dover. However, between July and August 2024, he appears to have returned to Afghanistan for a holiday, posting videos of scenic road trips through Takhar province in north west Afghanistan.
Most tellingly, he shared footage from Band-e Amir, where he was filmed aboard an orange raft available for hire at approximately £1.50 per hour. He captioned videos with love hearts whilst brushing his hand against the crystal-clear waters. His return journey was documented through Dubai Airport, with photos showing him wearing Emirates-branded headphones on the flight back to London.
A week after his apparent return, Usama posted again from Rotherhithe in South East London, proving he had successfully re-entered Britain. His social media also reveals he had previously travelled through at least three safe nations – France, Switzerland and Bulgaria – before claiming asylum in the UK.
“Laughing at How Naive the Government Are”
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick condemned the case, stating: “Illegal migrants like this must be laughing at how naive the Government are. He should never have been allowed back into the UK after he apparently holidayed in Afghanistan.”
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, told reporters: “It’s obviously nonsensical that anyone claiming asylum because they fear persecution in a country would return to that country for a holiday”. He added that whilst Britain took in Afghans “rightly because of our involvement in that country,” the nation’s “generosity has been taken advantage of.”
The case follows wider allegations that multiple Afghan asylum seekers who fled the Taliban have been returning home for holidays, with migrants obtaining Iranian visas and travelling to the Afghan border to cross without passport stamps. Sources claim they bribe Iranian and Taliban border forces through pre-established contacts to avoid documentation that would reveal their return to British authorities.
One Afghan migrant living in a Home Office hotel in the Midlands explained: “You don’t leave before getting your asylum case accepted because first it is risky and second the British Government will be holding your passport during the process of your application. However, once asylum is granted, the loophole through Iran allegedly allows undetected returns.
Government Rules Flouted
Government guidelines explicitly prohibit asylum seekers or those granted protection from returning to their home country. A Home Office rulebook states that those with valid refugee travel documents “can usually travel to all countries except the country you’re from and any country you sought asylum from. Officials say these rules prevent abuse of the system.
The controversy erupts as Britain grapples with record small boat arrivals. Around 37,000 people were detected crossing the Channel in small boats in 2024, 25% more than the year before, with numbers continuing to surge in 2025. The crisis is costing taxpayers over £8 million daily for asylum seeker accommodation, nearly £3 billion annually.
Afghans have been amongst the most common nationalities claiming asylum in recent years. The UK has been more likely to grant protection to Afghan asylum seekers than some other European states, with grant rates around 99% in 2023. However, recent policy changes saw Afghan asylum grant rates plummet from 98.5% to just 47% in the last quarter of 2024.
Wider Pattern of Abuse
The Usama case is not isolated. Last month, whistleblowers claimed other Afghans brought to Britain after the Kabul evacuation have also returned there. “There are a lot of people who are living in the hotels going in and out of Afghanistan daily; they just keep a low profile while in the country,” one source revealed.
A female migrant told investigators her relative evacuated to Britain two years ago had returned to Afghanistan with his family: “They went there a few months ago, spent 20 days in Herat and came back without having a problem because British authorities think they were in Iran, not Afghanistan”.
A Taliban official acknowledged the loophole exists but insisted it was up to the British government “to solve their problems”. Meanwhile, enforced returns to Afghanistan remain suspended as the UK does not recognise the Taliban as legitimate.
Political Fallout Intensifies
The scandal has reignited fierce political debate over Britain’s asylum system. Jenrick, who resigned as Immigration Minister in December 2023 over disagreements with the Rwanda plan, demanded answers: “If Germany are regularly removing illegal migrants from Afghanistan back home, why aren’t we?
The former minister has called for tougher deportation measures and greater transparency about foreign nationals committing crimes in Britain. Reform UK has also seized on the revelations, with party officials describing the situation as evidence that “the British people have been scammed by their own political leaders.
Sources indicate Usama’s status in Britain is now being urgently reviewed. If his holiday is proven, he could be hauled in to explain the trip and potentially face revocation of his protection status. A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Whilst we do not comment on individual cases, where there is evidence of someone holding protection status returning to their country of origin, it will trigger a review of their status”.
Band-e Amir: Afghanistan’s Tourist Paradise
The choice of Band-e Amir for Usama’s alleged holiday is particularly striking. Visitor numbers to the park surged from 25,000 in 2009 to 169,900 by 2018, with more than 99% being Afghan citizens. The site features six deep-blue lakes formed by natural travertine dams and is considered one of the few such systems globally.
Known for its crystal-clear waters, the UNESCO-nominated site sits in the Hindu Kush mountains and attracts nearly 200,000 visitors yearly. Tourists can swim, hire boats, or rent swan-shaped pedalos – hardly the image of a war-torn nation too dangerous for returns.
Official Foreign Office advice continues to warn Britons against all travel to Afghanistan, citing volatile security conditions. Yet for some Afghan asylum seekers, the country appears safe enough for summer holidays.
As the Home Office investigation continues, the case highlights fundamental questions about Britain’s asylum system and whether those claiming persecution are genuinely unable to return home. With small boat crossings at record highs and costs spiralling, pressure mounts on the government to close loopholes that allow apparent abuse of British hospitality.
The revelation that asylum seekers may be holidaying in countries they claimed to flee from whilst British taxpayers foot the bill for their protection has sparked outrage. As one government source put it: “This makes a mockery of our entire asylum system.”
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