July 2021

July 31, 2021July 31, 2021

Home Office …

Disgraceful: 31 July 2021: Independent: Home Office set up fake website to deter asylum seekers from crossing Channel with ‘misleading’ claims

Exclusive: ‘On The Move’ website claims to offer ‘reliable information’ but does not disclose government affiliation

The Home Office set up a website targeting asylum seekers with “misleading” claims to deter them from journeying to Britain, The Independent can reveal.

It created a fake organisation called On The Move, complete with a logo and glossy branding, which claims to “provide migrants in transit with free, reliable and important information”.

Readmore here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/english-channel-crossings-home-office-website-b1894092.html

July 30, 2021July 30, 2021

Home Office breached article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights

30 July 2021: Guardian: Home Office failed to put in place system to protect detainees with HIV

High court judge issues ruling after man was denied antiretroviral medication for four days

The Home Office failed to put in place systems to protect detainees with HIV, a high court judge has ruled, after a man was denied lifesaving medication for four days.

The landmark ruling found that in failing to adequately care for people with HIV the Home Office breached article 3 of the European convention of human rights, which protects against inhuman and degrading treatment.

July 24, 2021April 4, 2023

Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration – David Neal

New Inspections scheduled for 2021-22 include:

‘An inspection of Border Force assurance’
‘An inspection of Intelligence’
‘An inspection of a small airport’
‘An inspection of a small seaport’
‘An inspection of the removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs)’

Published 23 July 2021

ICIBI Inspection Plan 2021-22
a. Completed inspections – reports awaiting publication:
 ‘An inspection of ePassport gates (June 2020-January 2021)’. Submitted 17
June 2021
 ‘Second annual inspection of “Adults at Risk in immigration detention” (July
2020-March 2021)’. Submitted 30 June 2021
 ‘A further inspection of the EU Settlement Scheme (3) (July 2020-March
2021)’. Submitted 15 July 2021
 ‘An inspection of asylum casework (August 2020-April 2021)’. Submitted 23
July 2021

July 23, 2021April 4, 2023

ICIBI inspection of the use of hotels and barracks as contingency asylum accommodation

Updated 23 July 2021: An inspection of contingency asylum accommodation:
HMIP report on Penally Camp and Napier Barracks (November 2020 – March 2021)

Details

The inspectors conducted visits to both sites, Penally Camp on 16 and 17 February and Napier Barracks on 17 and 18 February. The ICIBI also returned for a further visit to Napier Barracks on 4 March.

On 8 March 2021 the then Chief Inspector, David Bolt, published interim high-level findings. This report is the fuller final report that was sent to the Home Office. It reflects the department’s factual accuracy checks, and includes forewords from David Bolt, the previous Chief Inspector, and David Neal, the current Chief Inspector.

There is also a copy of a letter sent in March from David Bolt to the Director General of Asylum and Protection.

This link contains

a foreword from the new ICIBI Dave Neal
letter from the previous ICIBI David Bolt to the Home Office, dated 21 March 2021
and the report from the Inspector of Prisons
The Home Office’s response to the report

Summary of findings for Napier Barracks and Penally Camp
Leadership and management
S1 Penally Camp and Napier Barracks were opened as contingency asylum accommodation in September 2020. The Home Office contracted Clearsprings Ready Homes (CRH) to manage the accommodation. CRH sub-contracted to other companies to provide services, and they in turn sub-contracted to other providers. Managers at both sites lacked the experience and skills to run large-scale communal accommodation.

July 22, 2021August 8, 2021

Secret deal to remove Zimbabweans from UK

StatusNow4All network members are picking up intelligence about people being summarily snatched when reporting or at home. We are seeking further information.

This post is being continually updated here: https://statusnow4all.org/secret-deal-to-remove-zimbabweans-from-uk/

The deportation flight left, and many people who were scheduled to be on the flight did not go for example due to Covid, or paperwork errors. For these people the struggle to remain in UK continues. The Courts have enables others to remain in UK due to acceptance that they have a personal risk on return. The resistance to the principle of returning people to Zimbabwe needs to be heard loudly.

22 July 2021: Legal bids mean UK deportation flight to Zimbabwe takes off just one-third full

Multiple challenges, as well as Covid self-isolation, result in only 14 of people being on board, it is believed

A controversial Home Office deportation charter flight to Zimbabwe took off at about 10.30pm on Wednesday evening with only around one-third of the passengers on board that officials had hoped to remove.

July 14, 2021August 8, 2021

Suggested letter to MPs – New Plan for Immigration

Dear Friends

If you have not already signed one of the many template letters opposing the Bill, which are being circulated by the Refugee Council, Detention Action and others, you might like to crib from this letter which I have sent to my MP.

It identifies our Quaker position and refers to the New Plan for Immigration which took up so much of our time earlier this year. It does not cover everything of concern.

July 10, 2021July 10, 2021

How to access medical care as an asylum seeker

6 July 2021: Click on these links to access an excellent leaflet “How to access medical care as an asylum seeker”. It explains in clear and straightforward English: your rights, how to register with a GP, what happens if you move, access to mental health care and many other issues. It is brilliant. In fact we all should have a copy.

NHS-guide-for-asylum-seekers-v5 Download

You will also finds translations into: Albanian, Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, Tigrinya.

July 6, 2021July 31, 2021

Marking 70 years of the UN Refugee Convention

Below is the registration link for the Central England Area Meeting Peace Committee to mark 70 years of the UN Refugee Convention, Wednesday 28th July 19.00 – 21.00.

Is the UK still compliant with the letter and the spirit of the 1951 UN Refugee treaty?

About this event: CEQ Peace Committee invite you to this event to mark the 70th Anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention (also known as ‘the Geneva Convention of 1951’) and explore its relevance today.

We will ask whether the UK is still compliant with the letter and the spirit of the treaty, with speakers: