December 2022

December 16, 2022April 4, 2023

Concerns about the use of army barracks, hotels, offshoring etc etc.

This post relates to reports of atrocities around the army camp accommodation and hotels, and other Home Office plans to accommodate people in new sites, and has become so long that it is now continued here: https://qarn.org.uk/concerns-about-the-use-of-army-barracks-hotels-offshoring-etc-etc-continued/

Update 16 December 2022: from RAPAR:

PRESS RELEASE from @raparuk 16th Dec. 2022: Whistleblower speaks out about safeguarding, racism and scabies at Serco’s asylum “hotel” in Warrington

https://buff.ly/3hygtgQ

and:

Please help raise money for Shay Babagar and @RAPARUK to build on Shay’s 35-day hunger strike to challenge Serco’s treatment of ‘hotel’ residents seeking asylum.
Justgiving: https://buff.ly/3BDx5dO

Campaign flyer: https://buff.ly/3j4CG6D
About campaign: https://buff.ly/3VYnZ3B

December 16, 2022December 16, 2022

‘We must end this slow violence, inflicted by the state against asylum-seekers.’

15 December 2022: Morning Star: Allowing asylum seekers to work makes sense

CLAUDIA WEBBE MP argues that granting all migrants indefinite leave to remain and the ability to work will only strengthen the power of our class — as well as boosting the economy

We can learn a lot from those who experience and resist the British asylum system.

December 13, 2022December 14, 2022

Rishi Sunak PM in Parliament 13 December 2022

This is the original concern: BBC: Rishi Sunak pledges more staff to help clear asylum backlog

(see article at the end of this post for details)

Quakers in Britain responded: Vulnerable people who arrive on our shores should be treated fairly under international law, Quakers say

Quakers believe that all people are precious, everywhere. Today they speak out yet again against the UK government’s plans on migration which continue to embed policies of discrimination into the practices of the British state.

Embroidered butterfly reads migration is beautiful — Vulnerable people who arrive on our shores should be treated fairly under international law, Quakers say, photo credit: Quakers in Britain – artwork by Rosemary Crawley

Announcing his latest plans for the asylum system, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said new legislation would make it clear that those entering the UK by unsafe and irregular routes would not be able to remain.

But the Prime Minister’s plans, announced on Tuesday 13 December, criminalise those seeking sanctuary and contravene the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, of which the UK was a founding signatory.

The UK should do more to promote peace and climate justice abroad, allowing people to live safely at home, rather than being forced to take often life-threatening routes to safety, said Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship at Quakers in Britain.

December 12, 2022December 12, 2022

Churches Refugee Network Advisory Group December 2022 bulletin

Churches Refugee Network Advisory Group December 2022 bulletin:

Welcome to the third edition of the Churches’ Refugee Network’s (CRN) Advisory Group’s bulletin. This bulletin aims to provide those within the CRN’s network with the latest information, developments and activities linked to immigration, asylum and refugee issues in a British and Irish context

December 5, 2022December 5, 2022

UNHCR notes with concern …

5 December 2022: UNHCR News Comment on UK Asylum Reform Proposals

This news comment is attributable to Vicky Tennant, UNHCR Representative to the United Kingdom

UNHCR notes with concern the proposals presented in a report issued today by the Centre for Policy Studies on UK asylum reform.

The report contains critical factual and legal errors regarding the international legal status of refugees and asylum-seekers.

Everybody has the right to seek asylum from persecution in another country, and there is no such thing as an “illegal asylum-seeker”. The indefinite detention of those seeking asylum, based solely on their mode of arrival, would punish people in need of help and protection and constitute a clear breach of the United Kingdom’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.