Cara Delevingne’s Support Wasn’t Enough To Save This Student From Being Deported

The supermodel helped 19-year-old Yashika Bageerathi gain widespread support - but she ultimately lost her battle

Cara Delevingne first helped to shed some light on 19-year-old student Yashika Bageerathi’s plight when she tweeted her support last month.

The 21-year-old model took to Twitter to raise awareness and help save Yashika from being deported back to her home country of Mauritius without her family.

After Cara got involved, the case became a hot topic nationwide – and more than 175,000 people signed an online petition calling for her freedom.

But on Wednesday, a High Court judge refused her appeal to remain in the country. She was sent home, scared and alone, on a 21:00 flight out of Heathrow.

Lynne Dawes, the principal at Yashika’s school, spoke to the BBC about the news. ‘I just cannot believe they would send her back six weeks from her exams,’ she said. ‘Why can’t there just be some compassion and humanity to allow her to stay and do those A-Levels?

‘I know there are laws but I just cannot get why, in effect, what is a few more months. It wouldn’t hurt anyone over here, but it would make such a massive difference to her life.’

The case has certainly captured the country’s attention and sparked some divisive opinions. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Got a tablet? Download our FREE sampler to try out our new look Marie Claire, available on iPad, Kindle (just search the store for ‘marie claire magazine’), Nook or Google Nexus.