A pregnant woman with dual citizenship says she no longer feels welcome in Britain after a distressing incident with Border Force at Heathrow Airport. 

Naomi Tamayama, 44, from Chesham, was returning from Sweden with her elderly mother and nine-year-old neurodivergent son when they were questioned by Border Force officers about their immigration status, an experience that has left Naomi’s son with nightmares and fears, she said.

"We don't have British passports but we are dual nationals and allowed to be here," Naomi, whose dad is Japanese, said. 

The trio, all whom have Swedish passports because having a British passport is not a legal requirement for citizens, were also carrying their UK birth certificates and other documents proving right to remain, which she tried to show to the officials, Naomi explained.  

The single mum, who is seven months pregnant, said: “We were met with real hostility. Both of the Border Force guards and his supervisor were quite hostile considering we were in the assistance queue late at night."

The Home Office has been contacted for comment. 

She alleged: "He [the security guard] wouldn’t look at it [paperwork]. What rights do I have? Is there anyone I can call? You’re complexly vulnerable. Both my son and my mum are in wheelchairs and I’m stuck there thinking my son’s not going to cope if this gets any more stressful.

“It really made me feel and Brexit already made me feel I’m some dirty foreigner who doesn’t belong here. That’s the feeling I got when I met with these two people. And it felt like the supervisor had made up his mind without looking at the documents.”

She was told in a “rather rude and aggressive manner” that without British passports the trio were not allowed to legally reside in the UK despite her phone calls with the Home Office confirming her and her son didn’t need to apply for the right to remain because they were born in the UK, Naomi said.

Eventually, their passports were stamped, but at the baggage reclaim exhausted Naomi noticed the stamp gave them a maximum stay of six months in the UK, which could cause problems if they needed to travel again – something Naomi was hoping to do with her son before the baby is born.

Her consultant obstetrician said in a letter seen by the Free Press her visa status has “contributed to her blood pressure being outside of the normal range for pregnancy” and that the case should be “progressed as soon as possible to reduce  the impact of stress on her pregnancy".

“My health is suffering just because two people decided to be aggressive and angry. It just feels like the complete opposite law is supposed to work, you’re meant to be treated you’re innocent until proven guilty. I feel like I’ve committed a crime,” Naomi said.

“In the interim it doesn’t stop my nine-year-old from being scared. His fear is the Border Force is going to come in and we’ll be taken Sweden. He’s not coping with his fear and he’s asking if they are taking us or the baby away.

"I've spent 30 hours so far chasing the problem. If you speak with Home Office or the passport office they tell you different things. The people who make decisions don't have any idea of the law their decisions are based on and that makes me really concerned," she added. 

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Border Force’s number one priority is to maintain a secure border, which includes verifying that those wishing to enter the UK have the right to do so.”