The Sunday Telegraph this week published a leaked memo revealing the latest u-turn in the government’s managed migration policy. And a new pamphlet from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants suggests we should expect more of these twists and turns in the future because managed migration is inherently prone to crisis. The Commonwealth
Wrongly accused Man Utd. fans call for apology
Manchester United supporters have been helping Iraqi Kurdish refugees who were wrongly accused of plotting to bomb Old Trafford. On 19 April 2004, over 400 police officers conducted dawn ‘anti-terror’ raids across the UK and arrested ten people on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Within hours, the arrests were
Protests against separation call for Roma children
Nobel Prize-winning writer Günter Grass is among the first 700 signatories to a petition calling for the resignation of Eric Van der Linden, the EU ambassador to Slovakia. A month ago, Van der Linden called for Roma (Gypsy) children to be forcibly separated from their parents during the week and put in boarding schools. Speaking
Foreign prisoners – forgotten prisoners?
The Prison Reform Trust has recently published Forgotten Prisoners – the plight of foreign national prisoners in England and Wales, which examines the increasing numbers of foreign nationals being held in British prisons, the problems that they encounter, and the inconsistency of their treatment. Key facts and figures include: 12 per cent of the prison
Photographer witnessed and prevented deportation
Concerns are being raised by UK NGOs about the possible use of excessive force during deportations. A witness to an attempted deportation describes the humiliation and distress she saw. On, 29 April 2004, just two days before ten new states, including Lithuania, joined the EU, British photographer, Jess Hurd, on her way to Lithuania to
What happens to those who die on Britain’s borders?
The body of an Iraqi would-be asylum seeker who died trying to enter Britain in 2001 has been left in a mortuary for almost three years because there are no funds to pay for its return. Omid Jamil Ali was born to a poor family in rural Kurdistan in 1980. Like many others, his family
Another asylum seeker takes own life
On 18 May 2004, 27-year-old Afghan asylum seeker Zekria Ghulam Mohammed was found dead at his flat in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow. Zekria apparently took his own life and was found by a friend who had to break the door down to gain entry to the flat. Zekria, who had been living in Scotland
Resource for opposing deportations
The National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) has produced a guide to help individuals, families and supporters who are thinking of starting a campaign. Since it was established in 1995, NCADC has supported 115 successful campaigns against deportation. Its approach is simple: it gives advice and guidance to help families and individuals win widespread support
The impact of the Asylum Bill
A leading immigration barrister spoke at a recent meeting of the Law Centres’ Federation on the likely impact of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Bill. “The steady stream of Asylum Acts continues: 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002 and soon, 2004. The Asylum Bill, likely to become law within weeks, is set to drive
Racist murder in Ashford, Kent
Two White men have been charged with the murder of Bapishankar Kathirgamanathan, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan-born restaurant worker. Kathirgamanathan had been walking home across a footbridge, on 22 April 2004, when he was assaulted in what police are regarding as a racially-motivated attack. During the attack, Kathirgamanathan sustained severe head injuries and died two weeks