More than 80 faith groups and leaders have signed an open statement to Home Secretary Priti Patel highlighting shortcomings in the government’s new plan for immigration.
Launched by the St Vincent de Paul Society, the statement calls on the Home Office to embed principles of compassion, welcome, protection and integration into government policy on Immigration.
The coalition of Catholic and other faith groups, brought together by the SVP, believes “these proposals lack humanity and respect for human dignity” and “we believe it would be wrong to create a system in which the way people enter the UK will impact how their asylum claim is processed and the status they might receive.” The coalition recognises that “obligations to those who seek sanctuary is fundamental to building a just and flourishing nation”.
The groups point out that many people who are forced to flee their homes in desperate circumstances simply have no choice but to cross borders informally to reach a safe haven. “To penalise them for this is to abandon the very principle of international protection,” they said in the statement, adding: “We cannot ignore their plight and reduce it to a statistical act of bureaucracy.”
Signatories who joined the SVP include the Jesuit Refugee Service, Seeking Sanctuary, St Chad’s Sanctuary, National Justice and Peace Network, Westminster Justice and Peace, Columban Missionaries, Caritas Salford, Caritas Shrewsbury, Southwark Archdiocese, National Board of Catholic Women, Welcome Churches, Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network, Baptist Union of Great Britain, Churches Together in Wales and United Free Church of Scotland.
Bishops representing the Catholic Church in England, Wales and Scotland have also written to Priti Patel endorsing the concerns of the Catholic organisations. They said: “We share the concerns they have expressed about the new plan for immigration.” And they quoted Pope Francis, who, in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees released this week, called for a move towards an ever wider “we”, drawing on the deep interconnectedness of humanity and recognising that all refugees and migrants are made in the image of God. Pope Francis urged people to “break down the walls that separate us and build bridges that foster a culture of encounter”.
In the letter the Bishop for Migrants, Paul McAleenan, and Bishop William Nolan, chair of the Scottish bishops’ Commission for Justice and Peace expressed their profound opposition to the creation of a two-tier asylum system that employed “arbitrary divisions” based on method of entry, warning that many families and refugees have little choice. They called for more support for community sponsorship schemes and resettlement, and cautioned that victims of human trafficking will not be helped by “tougher border security and a less generous asylum system”.
The bishops’ concerns were echoed in a letter from the anti-trafficking Santa Marta Group to the home secretary, Priti Patel. Bishop William Kenney, chair of the group, cautioned that the proposals could criminalise victims of modern slavery.
The Santa Marta Group also expressed its concern that the NPFI undermined the government’s own efforts to combat trafficking. The letter criticised the policy statement for focusing on a small number of cases as evidence of abuse of the immigration system, and it sounded a warning that creating new barriers for those seeking asylum “risks pushing more people into the hands of traffickers”.
However, there little evidence that the UK government will change its strategy. Priti Patel’s sweeping plans to tackle illegal immigration were included in the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 11 May. The Home Secretary intends to introduce tough new measures particularly to crack down on migrants crossing the Channel and entering through other unauthorised routes. The Queen said: “Measures will be brought forward to establish a fairer immigration system that strengthens the United Kingdom’s borders and deters criminals who facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys.” Campaigners warn that the immigration overhaul will “slam the door in the face” of people in urgent need of protection in the UK.
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