I am grateful to Zena Kazeme (Refugee Resettlement
Officer for Sufra NW London) for permission to reprint the article below first published on the Sufra website LINK. Do please consider contributing to Sufra's amazing work. Link at the end of the article.
It’s almost unbelievable to think that this September will mark the 7th
anniversary of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who captured the
hearts of millions across the world, when his small body washed ashore after
making the treacherous journey across the sea on a dinghy. The image of the
3-year-old jolted the world and for a moment, the tragedy provided a glimmer of
hope that change would ensue.
Fast forward 7 years and not only have over 6,000 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean sea
since Aylan’s death, but those who have managed to arrive at our shores are
facing the harshest policies in an environment that is growing more hostile by
the day.
In April this year, despite widespread condemnation, the government
confirmed plans to outsource asylum seekers to detention centres in Rwanda.
Following the introduction of the Nationality and Borders Act, the government
announced it will transfer responsibility for providing asylum to those who
arrive in the UK by irregular routes, such as crossing the English Channel in a
boat from France, to a “safe third country” – Rwanda. The plan stated that
anyone who had arrived in the UK ‘illegally’, as of January 2022, would be
liable for removal. It slowly became apparent that once people are exported,
their claims are no longer considered under UK law, but rather as Rwandan
asylum claims – and even those who go on to be granted asylum won’t have right
of return to the UK. The UK’s legal obligations end once they have been deported.
An Illegal Asylum Seeker?
The plans mention asylum seekers arriving in the UK “illegally”, which
begs the question; is there such a thing as an “illegal” asylum seeker? In
short, the answer is no. The plan is referring to individuals who have arrived
via unofficial routes, usually by crossing the channel on a small boat. Under
international law, anyone fleeing home to seek safety has a right to apply for
asylum, regardless of how they reach the UK. In fact, the majority of the
guests we work with at Sufra, arrived through unofficial routes, risking their
lives to find safety. For some guests from Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, it
took over a year to reach the UK.
Plans to export refugees to a ‘safe third country’ for processing has
been lurking in the shadows for several years but it was mostly forgotten until
this spring. However, the conclusion to label Rwanda as a suitable and safe
third country is particularly puzzling, considering an estimated 10,000 Rwandan citizens have sought asylum in the UK between
2000 and 2018 fleeing dictatorship and human rights abuses.
Many of these refugees are from the LGBTQ+ community and organisations that
work with the community have expressed deep concerns about Rwanda’s anti-LGBTQ+
policies, which could put the lives of thousands of asylum seekers the UK is
planning to export, at risk.
Seeing the Impact of the Policy first-hand at Sufra
As the news was announced and began to spread, I received back-to-back
distressed calls from worried young people and families in temporary
accommodation across London. Individuals who have already had to bear the brunt
of the hostile environment policies were now facing a fresh anxiety. One single
mother from Iraq who had arrived with her children in February and had still
not had her asylum claim processed, called in tears asking whether she would be
deported, and at the time, I could not confidently say no. Initially, the plan
provided no clarity on who is set to be removed, just that it would include
anyone who arrived ‘illegally’ as of January 2022.
Hope in Response to Hostility
As soon as plans were announced, immigration lawyers, activists and
refugee organisations across the UK rose to challenge the decision and express
solidarity with refugees. First, they challenged the retrospective nature of
the rule and were successful in ensuring no asylum seekers who have arrived
before June 2022 would not be deported. Within weeks, another challenge was
launched against the plan over failure to identify risks to LGBTQ+ refugees.
Charities across the country organised to write to MPs and place pressure on
airlines not to carry passengers facing deportation. Dozens of activists
protested outside of immigration removal centres, chanting ‘we are with you’,
as the first notices for removal were issued to asylum seekers. Demonstrations
outside the Home Office amplified the voices of scared refugees who are living
in fear as they watch the news unfold every day. This led to global criticism
of the plans and prompted the UNHCR to condemn the government on failing to
meet the standards of legality and appropriateness.
As of 14th June 2022, 7 people detained in the UK were facing
deportation. Despite the hard work of lawyers, activists, organisations and
even criticism from Prince Charles who dubbed the Rwanda plan ‘appalling’, the
Court of Appeal rejected the latest legal efforts to block the first
deportation flight. Luckily, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
intervened – the Strasbourg court made a ruling on a single case, putting
the whole plan on pause. However, Justice secretary Dominic Raab has confirmed
the government will introduce a ‘British Bill of Rights’ which would give more
power to the British Supreme Court over the ECHR and allow life-saving rulings
to be ignored in the future.
We have seen the impact of people power reduce the number of asylum
seekers facing deportation from 50 to 7, and we cannot stop now. Despite the
advances we have made, there are still many suffering from severe trauma who
wake up every morning to news that can upend their lives. We have seen
first-hand the difficulties asylum seekers face in temporary accommodation,
from unsuitable, cramped living space to starvation and lack of mental health
support, and now the risk of being deported to another continent and an
uncertain future.
United We Stand
The plan is unworkable, immoral, and unethical on many levels. We know
that it will not deter desperate people seeking sanctuary from arriving in the
UK. Instead, it will push a community that is already overlooked to the margins
of society. Asylum seekers will seek any means of survival available and that
could push many who fear deportation to escape from Home Office accommodation
onto the streets. It will lead to an increase in mental health needs, which are
already unmet. The number of young asylum seekers on hunger strike in the UK is
rising daily and despite the Home Secretary labelling it as ‘attempts to
frustrate the process and delay removal’, it poses a real risk to the lives of
many young people.
As we celebrate Refugee Week and Pride Month, we must keep in mind that
the hard-won rights we are celebrating were achieved through people power.
Individuals came together demanding the changes we are celebrating today. We
are now facing a moment in history that will shape the future of the UK’s
response to refugees. We have a duty to ensure that we continue to resist any
policies that pose a threat to the long-held principles of compassion and
tolerance towards anyone who arrives seeking sanctuary.
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