The passing of the so-called Illegal Migration Bill by parliament is outrageous. This Bill represents a ban on claiming asylum. It contravenes the Refugee Convention and is wantonly cruel. It will mean men, women, and children are incarcerated on a massive scale. It will leave hundreds and thousands in limbo for years on end. It will strip modern slavery survivors of protections and empower traffickers. And it has been forced through parliament at breakneck speed, avoiding scrutiny wherever possible.
This Bill is anti-refugee, it is anti-human.
At its passage, we are angry, and we are sorrowful. And we have not given up. We will continue to stand in solidarity with refugees as our government attacks them. The Illegal Migration Bill must be overturned.
Sarah Teather, JRS UK’s Director, said: “The Illegal Migration Bill drags any sense of the UK’s moral leadership on the world stage headlong into a gutter of hate. In it, we have abandoned the principle of refugee protection, and denied that we have a duty to anyone else in the world. We haven’t even done this to achieve any useful end, but revelled in sheer performative cruelty.
“I am particularly horrified that Parliament has decided to revert to wholesale incarceration of children in the immigration system, a practice I was instrumental in outlawing when in Government.
“At JRS UK, we shall continue to oppose this despicable piece of legislation and call on politicians from all parties to overturn it at the earliest opportunity.”
