QARN statement on forced migrants
The Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN) have made a statement on forced migrants
The Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN) have made a written submission concerning forced migrants to the Home Affairs Select Committee on an effective immigration policy and urged the Committee to have a wholehearted commitment to the humane and generous treatment of forced migrants coming to Britain.
QARN, in the submission, refer to ‘Quakers long standing track record of humanitarian support and concern for the homeless and displaced’ and highlight the Kindertransport, which brought children to safety from Adolf Hitler’s Germany: ‘Those children have enriched the cultural and intellectual life of this country immensely. The refugees and asylum seekers currently seeking a new life in the UK have already introduced enriching variety to our culture.’
The statement highlighted a number of concerns and responsibilities and urged the Committee to support ‘our commitments to the conventions concerning refugees and their treatment, most notably the 1951 Refugee Convention’. It was concerned that the stated commitment to these conventions and those of earlier governments ‘were at odds with the reality of legislation and its implementation. For example, the convention stipulates that refugees should not be penalized for their illegal entry or stay. The Immigration Act 2016 means that forced migrants may be imprisoned and have their earnings confiscated if they work before they have refugee status. Their employer and landlord are likewise exposed to prison’.
QARN urged the government to pursue a policy that would ensure the ‘humane treatment of asylum seekers’ and support a fair and consistent policy. It recommended that such a policy would: reinstate a fair and reasonable legal aid system; set clear and understandable criteria for applicants to meet without hidden snares, which makes it possible for so many to fail at the first hurdle; provide basic housing and income support throughout the application process, including appeals; allow people to work during their period of application; and provide easily accessible healthcare.
The QARN submission also raised issues such as immigration detention and its failures, the integration of immigrants into British society, the hostility to refugees, and funding for English language classes. The statement concluded by referring to ‘the atmosphere of hostility to refugees and the displaced in this country’ as ‘profoundly unChristian and unloving.’
Fred Ashmore, of QARN, said: ‘QARN worked as a network on this, with contributions from many of us. It goes to the heart of our ministry.’ He encouraged Friends to make their own submissions soon to the Home Affairs Select Committee, as ‘late offerings are accepted’, and to visit the QARN website for more information.
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