Taxpayers Fund Asylum Seeker Blocked From Boarding Flight to Las Vegas
Border officials blocked a failed American asylum seeker from boarding a flight to Las Vegas on May 7, exposing a taxpayer-funded system that sustains rejected migrants while preventing their departure through bureaucratic delays.
Border officials stopped Olabode Shoniregun from boarding a flight to Las Vegas on May 7. The 28-year-old American had been living in a Holiday Inn near Heathrow, eating three meals a day and seeing an on-site doctor. British taxpayers footed the bill while he waited for deportation.
The case exposes a system that keeps rejected migrants housed and fed long after officials have ruled against them. Shoniregun's asylum claim fell apart quickly. UK Visas and Immigration labeled it "clearly unfounded" in a 22-page letter dated June 5, 2025. The agency cited U.S. constitutional protections and the healthcare options available in his home country.
Taxpayers continue paying for Shoniregun's stay. Islington Council and Saint Stephen's Church in Canonbury provide him with approximately £400.19 each month. He also received previous stays in taxpayer-funded migrant hotels.
An Islington council worker told Shoniregun during a recorded conversation, "Now that you've got your benefits, you are like a British national. You've got the same right to the services as anybody in Britain."
Shoniregun welcomed the taxpayer support. "I didn't know that [taxpayers are paying for me to be here] and I want to say thank you. I'm grateful for that," he told The Telegraph. He added, "I've been born in the United Kingdom, so I think that it's crazy for me not to receive some kind of benefit. I deserve that and more, in my opinion."
The cost of supporting failed claimants like Shoniregun adds up fast. The U.K. government spent £2.1 billion on asylum hotels in 2024/25. The National Audit Office estimates total asylum accommodation costs could reach £15.3 billion over 10 years.
Enforcing removals costs far more than voluntary departures. Home Office statistics show voluntary returns averaged £4,300 in 2024/25. Enforced returns ran £48,800 each.
The Home Office holds Shoniregun's passport. Officials offered him a voluntary returns package in December 2025 worth £1,500 plus a flight ticket. They deemed him "unfit to fly" at the time. That decision left him stranded in taxpayer-funded accommodation.
"I'm honestly just trying to get back home safely. PUT ME ON A PLANE ALREADY!!" Shoniregun posted on X in May.
A Home Office spokesperson stated, "While we do not routinely comment on individual cases, airlines will often require confirmation an individual is fit to fly before a removal can take place. We have removed or deported almost 60,000 people who were here illegally, and are removing the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country."
Shoniregun arrived in Britain on October 23, 2024. He claimed persecution as a "black Jewish person who was a member of the Mormon church" and alleged sexual assault by U.S. law enforcement. UKVI's rejection letter pointed to the U.S. Constitution's Civil Rights Act of 1964 and First Amendment protections. The agency noted that the U.S. has healthcare options like Medicare and Medicaid.
Islington Council denied offering financial support or social housing to anyone without eligible immigration status. The statement contradicted video evidence showing council workers processing his benefits.
Shoniregun tried to board his second flight to Las Vegas on May 7. He filmed himself saying, "I'm heading back to Las Vegas. I've had a good time here in London and I'm ready to go back home."
Border officials blocked his departure again. The bureaucratic limbo persists. Taxpayers keep funding accommodation for a man whose asylum claim was officially rejected as baseless — and who has repeatedly said he wants to go home.