The UK government has announced plans for a new law to stop people crossing the English Channel to seek asylum in the UK.
Let’s be clear: this proposed law is cruel, inhumane and totally unworkable. It will put asylum seekers at greater risk of harm and will further fail victims of trafficking.
The UN refugee agency has already said that this law would amount to an asylum ban. This would be in breach of the Refugee Convention, of which the UK is a proud signatory.
Seeking asylum and protection from trafficking are not crimes. The government is trying to scapegoat survivors of slavery and casting unjustified doubt on the validity of their trafficking claims. This is a dangerous precedent that puts people at risk.
The UK government claims that this new Bill is “what the British people want”. So let’s show them that they are wrong: this is not what we want and we won’t stand for it.
We want a Home Office that treats human beings with compassion.
We want better management in the modern slavery and asylum support systems.
We want heightened protections for victims and proper support for case workers.
We DO NOT want a new Illegal Migration Bill. Together, we will build a movement to fight this Bill and with partners across civil society we will do everything we can to prevent it becoming law.
Add your name today to say NO! to this new Bill and to stand in solidarity with people seeking refuge and survivors of modern slavery.