UK: Government announces major changes to asylum policy ― Another damning assessment of Brook House detention centre ― New report makes economic case for ‘fair and humane’ asylum system

• The government has unveiled a number of draconian changes to UK asylum policy.
• A media investigation into the operation of one of the UK’s immigration detention centres has painted a damning picture of drug abuse and violence set against the backdrop of private profit.
• A new civil society report has presented an economic case for a fair and humane asylum system in the UK.

The government has unveiled a set of number of draconian changes to UK asylum policy. On 17 November, Home Secretary (Minister of the Interior) Shabana Mahmood MP presented the contents of a new policy paper entitled ‘Restoring Order and Control’ to parliament. The measures set out in the paper include halving the time that refugees are initially given to stay in the UK from five years to 30 months, quadrupling the length of time that they have to spend in the UK before they are allowed to apply for settled status from five years to 20 years, removing the automatic right to family reunification, requiring asylum applicants with assets to contribute to their costs and offering financial incentives to people to return to their countries of origin. The paper also foresees the possibility of enforced returns of families with children and the creation of new capped safe and legal routes into the UK. In an interview she gave to the BBC the day before she presented the new policy, Mahmood described it as a “moral mission” and claimed that “illegal migration” was “tearing our country apart”.

There has been strong reaction to the policy announcement, including by a number of MPs from the governing Labour party. Nadia Whittome MP called the measures “dystopian” and “shameful”, and accused the government of “ripping up the rights and protections of people who’ve endured unimaginable trauma”. Her colleague Tony Vaughan MP said that making refugee status temporary would create a “situation of perpetual limbo and alienation” while Sarah Owen MP described the measures as “repugnant” and Stella Creasey MP called them “performatively cruel”. Other Labour MPs have, however, expressed support for the plans and Mahmoud has claimed that “the vast majority” of her Labour party colleagues agreed with her. Commenting on the proposed measures, the head of ECRE member organisation the Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, said: “These sweeping changes will not deter people from making dangerous crossings, but they will unfairly prevent men, women and children from integration into British life”. “People who have fled war and persecution will be left in intense anxiety and uncertainty for up to 20 years, which will be the toughest in Europe,” he added. The head of ECRE member organisation the Scottish Refugee Council, Sabir Zazai, warned against the dehumanisation of people seeking asylum in the UK. “People fleeing war, persecution and trauma are not a burden. They are not a threat. They are human beings. Yet too often, the way we talk about them strips away their dignity. When politicians use language that echoes the far right, they don’t defeat extremism – they legitimise it,” he said, adding: “We can enforce rules without embracing rhetoric that divides. The UK must show that firmness and compassion can go hand in hand – and that the dignity of every person remains at the heart of our asylum system”. Zazai’s call was echoed by the UK representative of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Vicky Tennant, who said: “Refugees are not migrants. They are people fleeing conflict, instability and human rights abuses – circumstances no one would willingly choose”. “Fair, efficient asylum systems are essential to swiftly identify refugees and provide the protection they need,” she added.

A media investigation into the operation of one of the UK’s migration detention centres has painted a damning picture of drug abuse and violence set against the backdrop of private profit. The investigation into the Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) near London Gatwick Airport included testimonies from several people who had been detained there during the past two years. One of them, a Ghanaian man who did not wish to be named, described the centre as a “money machine” in which Serco – the private company that runs it – has a “vested interest in you staying, not leaving”. Others described Serco staff pepper-spraying a Romanian man who had jumped onto the anti-suicide netting, and former staff members themselves spoke about drug smuggling and acts of violence committed by their colleagues. Brook House has already been the subject of a public inquiry into abuse that took place there in 2017.

A new civil society report has presented an economic case for a far and humane asylum system in the UK. The report, which was published by the Together With Refugees coalition and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), is based on research conducted by the London School of Economics. It analysed the economic impact of four specific changes to the asylum system: asylum claims processed within six months, legal assistance at all stages of the application process, English language support from the day of arrival and employment support from the day of arrival; and concluded that “the four changes would result in a net saving in accommodation costs of £42,000 per asylum seeker – equating to a 34% saving in the total cost of accommodation for asylum seekers over a 12.5 year period from arrival (from £144,000 to £79,000)”. Commenting on the report, PCS General Secretary, Fran Heathcote, said: “A more humane system would improve the working conditions of our members, save the taxpayer money and boost the economy, benefiting the government’s growth agenda”. Meanwhile, Together With Refugees spokesperson, Minnie Rahman, said: “This landmark study blows apart tired claims that refugees are a ‘burden’. The evidence is clear: when given the chance to rebuild their lives, refugees give back – paying taxes, boosting growth, and strengthening our communities”.

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