#refugee-council — Public Fediverse posts

'Shocking' asylum watchdog report lifts lid on backlog and wasted cash

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/shocking-asylum-watchdog-report-hits-36371162

Shabana Mahmood warns of asylum 'uncomfortable truth' as plan sparks backlash

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/shabana-mahmood-lashes-out-asylum-36262469

UK Refugee Crisis: Strategies to Address Small Boat Arrivals

Refugees and boat crossings still making political waves

July 2025

With the state visit of President Macron this week, the small boats are back in the headlines. As Macron and Starmer try to thrash out a deal to reduce the numbers arriving in the UK, the UK has been pressuring the French police to use new tactics against the irregular immigrants, allowing them to stop boats from up to 300 meters from the shoreline rather than only dealing with them on land. Presently they can only intervene if there is danger to life. The police are, in any event accused of puncturing inflatable boats as well as more heinously using tear gas and pepper spray on children.

An agreement between the UK and France on a “one in one out” basis, so that any arrival can be sent

back to France if replaced by a candidate deemed more worthy by dint of family connection, has been mooted, but the press conference will be on Thursday afternoon, so we will not know just yet. At all events, other EU nations are complaining about a possible deal which will make it more likely that arrivals in Europe will end up on their shores.

‘we have to make migration boring again’

Meanwhile, Amy Pope, the CEO of the (UN’s) International Organisation for Migration, has suggested any proposed changes will be unlikely to work, bearing in mind the level of commitment the migrants have already put in before reaching the English Channel. She is also in favour of de-politicising the debate. Her comment “We have to make migration boring again” is clearly  the most valuable contribution from anyone so far.

Arrivals

As noted last month, the number of arrivals in the UK on small boats continues to break records (20,000 by the end of June). This has been put down to good weather, smugglers’ new techniques and increasing conflicts around the world (the largest number of hopeful asylum seekers in Calais are from Sudan).

The Government is hoping to save up to £1 billion by speeding up backlog processing. However, the backlog is now 90,000 rather than 50,000 in 2024. In 2024, there were84,000 asylum claims – In the EU as a whole there were nearly a million – 997,000.

With much discussion on what legal routes immigrants can take, here is a summary of the current situation in the UK: there are presently 7 options.

1. UNHCR can select people it thinks appropriate to send (the places cannot be applied for, and amount to only 1% of all refugees).
2. UK Resettlement Scheme. The status of this is unclear; it includes community sponsorship and accounts for about 700 arrivals last year.
3. Mandate Scheme. This is for people with relatives in the UK. 23 cases were reported in 2024.
4. Family Reunions. Applies after refugee status has been agreed by the UK.

Mostly Syrians , Iranians and Eritreans. 5000 in quarter 1 2025.

• Hong Kong. Numbers low now as most cases already settled.
• Afghanistan. ACRS and ARAOP have now been closed, with virtually no explanation. “Further measures…[will be] announced later this year.” More Afghans have been arriving by boats than under these arrangements anyway.
• Ukraine. Numbers also down now to about 4000 a month. Only 1698 asylum claims since 2022.

The Refugee Council have a new report New Roots, New Futures, arguing for a national integration strategy for refugees in the UK. They are particularly exercised by the need for new arrivals to have access to help in obtaining work and housing once they have been given right to remain.

The Green Party have put forward a plan for the Home Office to be split, with various options for the immigration departments.

By way of context, it should be noted that 73% of the world’s refugees are in Low/Middle Income countries, 67% of them are in countries neighbouring the one they are fleeing. Per head of population the countries with the highest number of refugees are Lebanon (1 in 8 of the population), Aruba and Chad.

The European Convention on Human Rights has become an issue again with questionable claims being made about possible unfair exploitation of loopholes. It should be stated that the Convention does not affect individual countries’ immigration policy, and that it is rare for claimants to a right of “family life” and such to win their case. The ECHR has ruled against the UK twice in the last two years, in neither case about immigration/deportation issues. They have generally prevented removals from the UK about once every 4.5 years since 1980. Leaving the Convention over this issue would seem rather unnecessary.

Andrew Hemming

Recent posts:

• Gaza gets ever worse
• Group minutes and newsletter
• Human rights in the UK
• Death penalty report
• UK Refugee Crisis: Strategies to Address Small Boat Arrivals

#asylum #channelCrossings #France #immigration #RefugeeCouncil #refugees

The Refugee Council email today after all the horrifying riots and criminal activity across the UK. Please donate to them if you can https://mailchi.mp/refugeecouncil/separated-children-need-your-support-3970610?e=092c3972de #RefugeesWelcome #RefugeeCouncil

UK warned over treating child asylum seekers crossing Channel in small boats as adults | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/un-warning-asylum-children-age-small-boats-b2566467.html

#AsylumSeekers
#ChildAsylumSeekers
#Children
#Adults
#SmallBoats
#Dinghies
#UN
#HomeOffice
#InternationalLaw
#Refugees
#ChildRefugees
#RefugeeCouncil
#ConventionOnTheRightsOfTheChild
#Cooper
#Safeguarding

Lone children at risk of deportation to Rwanda after being classified as adults, says charity | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/may/01/lone-children-at-risk-of-deportation-to-rwanda-after-being-classified-as-adults-says-charity

#ChildRefugees
#Rwanda
#ClassedAsAdults
#Deportation
#RefugeeCouncil
#HomeOffice
#FOI
#HumansForRightsNetwork
#Western
#Labour
#XRays
#MRIs
#DeportationBeforeAssesmentFinished

Humanitarian groups demand safe routes to UK after five deaths in Channel | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/23/humanitarian-groups-demand-safe-routes-to-uk-after-deaths-in-channel

#HumanitarianGroups
#SafeRoutes
#RwandaBill
#SmallBoats
#Dinghies
#SafePassageInternational
#RefugeeCouncil
#Care4Calais
#Sunak
#NationalAuditOffice
#CouncilOfEurope
#UN
#HomeOffice
#EnglishChannel
#Channel

MPs reveal the human cost of the Bibby Stockholm, as taxpayers pick up extra £2.6bn bill | Morning Star
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/mps-reveal-human-cost-bibby-stockholm-taxpayers-pick-extra-ps26bn-bill

#MPs
#BibbyStockhholm
#GPAccess
#GPs
#Claustrophobic
#HumanRights
#HomeOffice
#Cleverly
#Care4Calais
#EnglishChannel
#SmallBoats
#OneLifeToLive
#FreedomFromTorture
#RefugeeCouncil
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees

Hundreds of child refugees wrongly sent to adult detention centres by Home Office | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/refugees-children-adults-detention-identified-age-b2482828.html

#ChildRefugees
#Refugees
#DetentionCentres
#AdultDetentionCentre
#HomeOffice
#RefugeeCouncil
#HelenBamberFoundation
#HumansForRightsNetwork
#AdultPrisons
#Homelesness
#Destitution
#IllegalMigrationAct
#Rwanda
#AgeDisputeProject
#AfghanRefugees
#Eritrea

'‘#Britain gave me safety, now as a #doctor I can give back’: the #charity helping #refugees requalify to practise in the #UK

Saad Maida was training in #Glasgow when he realised he could not return home to #Syria. The #RefugeeCouncil helped give him the skills to get a job'
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/24/britain-gave-me-safety-now-as-a-doctor-i-can-give-back-the-charity-helping-refugees-requalify-to-practise-in-the-uk
#Immigration #Assylum

Stop the deaths | Morning Star
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/stop-the-deaths

#StopTheDeaths
#SmallBoats
#Tories
#Refugees
#AsylumSeekers
#Migrants
#Rwanda
#BibbyStockhholm
#BibbyStockhholmDeath
#Care4Calais
#HumanitarianVisa
#StandUpToRacism
#Racism
#Solidarity
#MigrantsRightsNetwork
#RefugeeCouncil
#AsylumBan
#AmnestyInternational

Despite the #Tories anti #migrant rhetoric, as the #RefugeeCouncil notes, over 75% of those whose claims for asylum have actually been processed have a legitimate (legal) reason to stay in the UK.

However, the backlog of claims currently lies at 123,000, which (incidentally) is over 25,000 more than arrived via the channel (in 'small boats') between Jan 2018 & June this year.

No wonder #RishiSunak wants them processed abroad; its the only way he can make his policies appear to be 'working'!

Forcing asylum seekers into shared rooms is unsafe, Sunak warned | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/asylum-seeker-hotels-home-office-sunak-b2436333.html

#AsylumSeekerAccomodation
#AsylumSeekers
#Sunak
#AsylumSeekersSafety
#HomeOffice
#Trauma
#PublicAccountsCommittee
#PAC
#Jenrick
#Hotels
#AfghanRefugees
#AsylumMatters
#Care4Calais
#RefugeeCouncil
#Torture
#ModernSlavery
#AsylumSeekers
#LocalGovernmentAssociation
#LGA
#BBC
#Kinnock
#LibDems
#Carmichael
#SNP
#Crawley
#Braverman
#RedCross

UN rebukes Suella Braverman over her attack on refugee convention | Suella Braverman | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/sep/26/un-suella-braverman-refugee-convention-unhcr-migration

#Braverman
#UN
#RefugeeConvention
#Refugees
#AsylumSeekers
#UNHCR
#Gay
#Women
#LGBT
#LGBTQIA
#RefugeeCouncil
#HomeOffice
#ActionAid
#Persecution
#GenderEquality
#HumanRights
#Tories

Suella Braverman’s ‘nasty and cruel’ migrant crisis speech sparks furious backlash | The Independent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/suella-braverman-asylum-speech-gay-b2418678.html

#Braverman
#Tories
#AsylumSeekers
#LGBT
#LGBTQIA
#Gay
#Migrants
#Women
#Persecution
#RainbowMigration
#2PerCentOfClaimsIncludeSexualOrientation
#ECHR
#AmnestyInternational
#RefugeeCouncil
#Labour
#Cooper

UK #asylum backlog hits 175K plus. #RefugeeCouncil says that this chaos is 'devastating' 4 migrants, lives are 'put on hold indefinitely' because of the incompetence, arrogance & indifference of this appalling Tory #Brexit Govt. https://tinyurl.com/3u9u4j3t #RejoinEU #SunakOut

Cram them into a shoebox: that’s Britain’s new anti-migrant strategy – and it won’t work | Enver Solomon | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/07/britain-anti-migrant-strategy-refugees-accommodation

#AntiRefugee
#AntiAsylumSeekers
#AntiMigrant
#Housing
#Tories
#Windrush
#Illegals
#IllegalMigration
#UNHCR
#HomeOffice
#Asylum
#Mismanagement
#ShoeBox
#RefugeeCouncil

Suella Braverman rebuked by watchdog for saying ‘millions’ could come to UK | The Independent
#Braverman
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees
#AsylumSeekerStats
#RefugeeNumbers
#InflammatoryLanguage
#AntiMigrant
#Xenophobia
#Racism
#UKStatisticsAuthority
#UKSA
#UN
#ModernSlavery
#Tories
#LibDems
#RefugeeCouncil
#Misleading
#Labour
#FalseStats
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/suella-braverman-migrants-millions-small-boats-b2336373.html

I usually have a rule about cross posting from the other place but this important enough to make an exception:

"People fleeing for their lives from war and persecution should be treated as we would hope to be treated, if we were them. Please watch and share this film if you agree."

https://twitter.com/caitlinmoran/status/1509100914409414656

#NotACriminal #Refugees #RefugeesWelcome #TogetherWithRefugees #RefugeeCouncil