The Chagos Islanders lost their homeland to the retreating British Empire, which gave it to Washington for an American military base. For decades, these dispossessed exiles have demanded the right to return to their islands in the Indian Ocean, but to no avail. Most remain where they were dumped: in the shantytowns of Mauritius and the Seychelles. Appeals for assistance have gone unheeded, and been thrown out by courts despite multiple rulings in favour of the islanders. Some have given up on their dream of going home and moved to Britain, creating tensions with their kin.