The failure to evacuate and give sanctuary to many Afghans to whom the UK owes a direct duty of care and whose lives now hang in the balance, throws into sharp relief the wider failures of the Home Office. In particular it demonstrates the cruelty and illogicality of the proposed two-tier system.
In February of this year, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) published a Guide to Asylum Reform in the United Kingdom.
However, rather than implementing improvements proposed by UNHCR which could lead to a more effective and humane system, Priti Patel’s Nationality and Borders Bill will slow the process down further, criminalise asylum seeking, undermine the 1951 International Refugee Convention, increase detention, destitution and mental illness, and will cost the country more while it destroys lives.
Draconian immigration legislation is usually preceded by negative reporting in the press, with media coverage given to racists and hatemongers.
The Labour Party must stand against this vilification of asylum seekers and refugees.
Conference calls on the Party and the Leadership to:
Strongly oppose the Nationality and Borders Bill
Consistently promote solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers and defend their rights set in international law
Challenge the racist representation of refugees and asylum seekers as criminals and scroungers
Recognise and disseminate knowledge of the contribution that refugees and migrant workers make to our society and economy
Call for the implementation of UNHCR’s recommendations on asylum reform in the UK as a positive alternative to the Nationality and Borders Bill.
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