Responding to the introduction into Parliament of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, Tim Naor Hilton, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said:
“Framing migration as a ‘national security’ issue to use counter terrorism-style laws will irreparably harm refugees, many of them children, and stoke divisions as we have seen in last summer’s racist riots.
“Most people who seek asylum here are racially minoritised and legislation aimed at deterring, detaining and criminalising them perpetuates racial injustice both in our systems and on our streets.
“The government wants to repeal the Safety of Rwanda Act and parts of the Illegal Migration Act. But in its current form, this bill is a missed opportunity to improve the asylum and immigration system and build unity.
“We want to support the Government to amend this legislation so it can be a platform on which to build real solutions to protect people seeking asylum and support them to build new lives in our communities.
“This includes protecting the right to claim asylum on arrival, creating safe routes to reach the UK, giving people the right to work, and repealing each of the last government’s anti-refugee laws in full.”