February 2025

The Home Affairs Select Committee has interviewed the Government’s choice for Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Full information is available at the link below, but here is the ‘Conclusion’ of HASC:

Conclusion

12. Mr Tuckett demonstrated significant experience of senior leadership in the public sector. We agree with the advisory assessment panel that Mr Tuckett meets the criteria for the position of Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.

13. That said, Mr Tuckett resides in Finland, and told us he travels to the UK for work as required. To operate effectively we believe that the ICIBI needs to spend a significant proportion of their time in London, or conducting inspections across the UK. We are also concerned about the reputational risk this creates. Mr Tuckett said he would be willing to work in London five days a week if necessary. If appointed, it will be for Mr Tuckett to decide on his precise working patterns, but we would expect the majority of his working time to be spent in London, or on inspections.

14. In addition, Mr Tuckett repeatedly highlighted his intention to work collaboratively with the Home Office, but was less reflective about how he would challenge Ministers and senior officials when required. In the previous Parliament there were difficulties in the relationship between the Home Office and ICIBI—particularly when it came to the publication of reports submitted by the ICIBI. It will be essential, if Mr Tuckett is appointed as ICIBI, that he demonstrates his independence and ability to challenge the Home Office—both privately and publicly—when necessary. Mr Tuckett may also wish to reflect more on the public facing aspects of the role of the ICIBI, in improving levels of public trust.

February 27, 2025February 27, 2025

Child Safeguarding Failures at Border Force Short-Term Holding Sites

25 February 2025: EIN: Child Safeguarding Failures at Border Force Short-Term Holding Sites

HMI Prisons conducted an inspection of the UK’s five short-term holding facilities (STHFs) at the France-UK border during a visit in November 2024. The STHFs are located in Calais, Coquelles, and Dunkirk, and are managed on behalf of the Home Office by Care and Custody, a division of the Mitie Group. They are used by Border Force to detain travellers in French territory pending a decision to admit, grant leave to enter or refuse entry to the UK.

The inspection revealed a mixed picture of ongoing challenges and failures amid some improvements.

Inspectors identified nine key concerns, five of which were deemed priorities requiring immediate attention by leaders and managers. These included the failure to make necessary safeguarding referrals, the lack of systematic data collation to improve outcomes, weak governance of the use of force by Border Force staff, poor physical conditions at the Coquelles facilities, and longstanding problems with phone and radio signals that undermined communication and use of professional interpretation.

Read more: EIN, https://shorturl.at/VGC0N

February 20, 2025February 20, 2025

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill 2024-5

Updated 20 February 2025: Have a look at the debate on the Border Security Bill, and see if your MP made a contribution, and if so, what kind of contribution.

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – Hansard – UK Parliament

February 19, 2025February 20, 2025

Government urged to reverse decision to close off citizenship to people arriving irregularly

18 February 2025: Quakers The Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN) has criticised new Home Office guidance that makes it even more difficult for refugees to become British citizens.

Last week the government updated the “good character” guidance which immigration staff use to assess whether people applying for citizenship should have their application approved or denied.

The main change is the addition of the following sentence:

“Any person applying for citizenship from 10 February 2025, who previously entered the UK illegally will normally be refused.”

The updated guidance adds that people “arriving without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship”. Travelling by small boat or being concealed in a vehicle are cited as examples of a dangerous journey.

Before this change, refugees who had arrived ‘irregularly’ would need to wait 10 years before being considered for naturalisation. A citizenship application currently costs £1630 and there is no right appeal.

February 17, 2025February 17, 2025

Over 100 charities and faith leaders unite against refugee citizenship ban

17 February 2025: QARN has signed this letter: Over 100 charities and faith leaders unite against refugee citizenship ban

Well over 100 charities and faith leaders have come together in an urgent call against the Government’s decision to effectively ban tens of thousands of refugees from ever becoming British citizens.

Orchestrated by the Refugee Council, the letter to the Home Secretary has been signed by 148 signatories from across the refugee, migrant and children’s sectors, but also faith leaders including rabbis, church leaders and the heads of various trade organisations.

February 17, 2025February 17, 2025

Special Forces blocked 2,000 credible asylum claims from Afghan commandos, MoD confirms

Left to die!

17 February 2025: BBC: Special Forces blocked 2,000 credible asylum claims from Afghan commandos, MoD confirms

UK Special Forces command rejected resettlement applications from more than 2,000 Afghan commandos who had shown credible evidence of service in units that fought alongside the SAS and SBS, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed for the first time.

UK Special Forces officers appear to have rejected every application from a former Afghan commando referred to them for sponsorship, despite the Afghan units having fought with the British on life-threatening missions against the Taliban.

February 15, 2025February 15, 2025

2025 Letter to Meetings from Friends World Committee for Consultation – FWCC

10 February 2025: Love your neighbour as yourself

Dear Friend, Greetings from the World Office of the Friends World Committee for Consultation. Grace and peace to you.

This is a sad time for FWCC with the recent passing of our clerk, Simon Lamb (Ireland Yearly Meeting). Esther Mombo (Highland Yearly Meeting) will now ably serve as clerk for the remainder of 2025.

This is also an anxious time for the world. Still I hold faith that the Light shines in the dark, and the darkness has not overcome it. This will be the case for as long as we each seek God’s will for our lives, and seek to unite with it.

This year World Quaker Day (5 October) will have the theme “Love Your Neighbour”, taking as its guiding scripture Galatians 5:14: “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’”.

February 14, 2025February 14, 2025

At the crossroads of climate justice and migrant rights

2025 February 14: Quakers: At the crossroads of climate justice and migrant rights

Ginny Baumann from the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network explores how to build better links between climate and migrant justice campaigns.

Across our Yearly Meeting, the issues of climate justice and migrant rights are live concerns. Although they are often carried forward by different groups of Friends, they are somehow held invisibly together within our Quaker meetings. But in our wider communities, efforts to tackle these two issues aren’t often unified, and it means that climate campaigning can sometimes feed into unintended harm on migrant issues.

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025

Refugees prevented from being granted citizenship

February 11, 2025: Refugees prevented from being granted citizenship – Refugee Council response

The Home Office published updated guidance yesterday that seems to prevent anyone from being granted citizenship if they arrived in the UK through a dangerous journey. You can see more in this guidanceOpens in a new window and the reference, on page 51, to those arriving by small boat.

In response to this news, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said:

“This change flies in the face of reason. The British public want refugees who have been given safety in our country to integrate into and contribute to their new communities, so it makes no sense for the Government to erect more barriers.
Continue reading “Refugees prevented from being granted citizenship”