Please ask your MP to support this Clause, which creates a maximum time limit of 28 days on immigration detention, to replace the current situation where people are detained indefinitely:
Consideration of Bill (Report Stage): 26 June 2020 5 Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill
To move the following Clauseâ âTime limit on immigration detention
Continue reading “Put 28 day limit on immigration detention”Read the report: UK Border Force short-term holding facilities
The first national inspection of UK Border Force-run short-term holding facilities (STHFs) found detainees were often held in very poor conditions that embarrassed local staff trying to deliver respectful detention.
At a national level, Border Force, part of the Home Office, in an âalarmingâ lack of oversight, could not tell HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) how many facilities it ran or for how long detainees, including children, had been held. Inspectors found that a pregnant woman had been held for more than 27 hours with âlittle meaningful engagementâ and that in some cases children were routinely handcuffed. Overall, though, inspectors noted that staff interactions with detainees were mostly polite, courteous and respectful.
Quaker.org.uk: Quakers are among more than 250 faith leaders who have written an open letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to commit to offering child refugees a safe route to asylum in the UK.
The signatories to the letter include the former Archbishop of Canterbury and Church of England bishops, the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, rabbis representing Reform, Liberal and other Jewish denominations, the former president of the Hindu Forum of Europe, the lead Catholic Bishop for Migrants and Refugees plus numerous senior leaders from the Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed, Salvation Army and Quaker traditions across the UK.
Continue reading “World Refugee Day: plea to give sanctuary to child refugees”âBeyond Beliefâ – Home Office Asylum Interviews Reveal a  Culture Tainted by Prejudgement Freedom from Torture today publishes a new report on the experience of the asylum interview for torture survivors seeking asylum in the UK. The report argues that the Home Office repeatedly breaches its own guidelines, and calls for a fundamental culture change.
Key findings:Â – Arriving in Britain, traumatised from torture and sexual violence, as well as a harrowing journey, survivors are often prevented from giving a full account of their experiences or are denied the opportunity to explain the relevance of their evidence. The Home Office fails to follow its own guidance and aspiration to create a âpositive and secure environmentâ for the survivor.
Continue reading “âBeyond Beliefâ – Home Office Asylum Interviews Reveal a Culture Tainted by Prejudgement”Refugee Week Facebook event – it took place on Wednesday 17.6.2020, but is available for viewing. You may find it interesting to hear the stories of people with lived experience, and hear from Shami Chakrabarti, Alf Dubs and Jeremy Corbyn:
Shaista spoke about Status Now at 1hr 17 mins on this Zoom event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGGeBUdY-ps
This is a powerful discussion, giving a voice to people with lived experience, also featuring Shami Chakrabarti, Alf Dubs and Jeremy Corbyn.
Continue reading “Refugee Week – powerful Stay Home for Labour online event”Detention Action: Sign the petition: In the wake of the killing of George Floyd by US police, the UK must act on its own record of systemic racism.
We are raising our voices to oppose the Governmentâs inhumane practice of indefinite immigration detention.
Immigration detention began in the UK as a way to imprison and deport black and brown people who came from Commonwealth countries.
Today, thousands are locked up every year. The majority of people we see in detention centres are black and brown people. Many are those who consider the UK their home, torture and trafficking survivors, and those fleeing persecution.
Continue reading “I oppose inhumane immigration detention”
11.6.2020: Safe Passage writes: we would be so grateful if you would consider adding your name to the letter, helping us show the PM the strength of interfaith support for welcoming more refugees. It is pasted below
If, after reading the open letter you/ any others would like to add your names, please do reply to Safe Passage by email info@safepassage.org.uk, including the full title by which you would like to be referred to in the list of signatories
In addition, please do not hesitate to forward this on to any other contacts you may have that might be interested in signing.
With Refugee Week starting on 15th June, we are setting an initial deadline for signatures of the 11thJune.The exact date for publication of the letter is yet to be decided and will depend on when we are most likely to generate public and press interest, but we will of course keep you updated as things progress.
[QARN has agreed to sign this letter]
Continue reading “Safe Passage for children:”5 June 2020: Status Now stands in Solidarity with #blacklivesmatter for #healthandsafetyforall
5 JUN 2020 – Status Now Network’s Reference Group is up and running, meeting on a fortnightly basis and taking action in between to develop the following:
Parliamentary and political engagement
See more detail about these aspects of campaign development at http://www.rapar.co.uk/news/there-is-no-gene-for-being-an-ethnic-minority
Continue reading “Status Now update”7 May 2020: JRS UK leads 30+ organisations & Bishops in letter to Prime Minister #StatusForAll:
We have written to the Prime Minister asking that the government grant a period of âLeave to Remainâ to everyone with insecure immigration status. We are joined by over 30 front-line facing organisations working with asylum seekers, refugees, and those with irregular immigration status.
Continue reading “Status For All – Status Now”
4 June 2020: [update 20.6.2020 This call has been shelved for now due to the nature of the current Immigration Bill, but the issue has not gone away]
Urgent, please contact your MP regarding this call from Detention Action
David Davis MP (Conservative, Haltemprice and Howden) has tabled amendments to the Immigration Bill to introduce a time limit for immigration detention. These are the amendments, which came so close to succeeding in the last Parliament. His amendments are receiving strong cross party support across the House of Commons.
Continue reading “Call for 28 time limit on immigration detention”
