Advertisement
Social Justice

Labour asylum blitz ignores lessons of UK riots and could harm migrants, experts say

Experts deliver their verdict on Yvette Cooper’s newly-announced asylum and immigration crackdown

A wave of new Labour policies on immigration and asylum have been met with anger by campaigners and experts, who say they risk ignoring the lessons of recent far-right riots across the UK.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has announced details of the government’s plans to increase deportations and “smash the gangs” by hiring 100 new investigators.

However the plans, including the expansion of immigration detention, sparked warnings that the government is seeking tough-sounding rhetoric at the expense of real solutions.

What are Labour’s new immigration and asylum policies?

Billed as an drive to increase the UK’s border security, Cooper announced the recruitment of 100 new “specialist intelligence and investigation officers” to the National Crime Agency. These will “disrupt and smash criminal smuggling gangs and prevent dangerous boat crossings”, the Home Office said.

In an attempt to increase the number of failed asylum seekers who are removed from the country, Labour will increase immigration detention capacity, including an extra 290 beds at Haslar and Campsfield immigration removal centres. The government will also redeploy staff to “drive this increase in returns”, and increase the number of enforcement and returns charter flights.

The government will also target employers who hire workers illegally with a new range of sanctions – ranging from fines to business closure orders and prosecution. Illegal workers also face deportation under the crackdown.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“We are taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules are respected and enforced,” Cooper said.

“By increasing enforcement capabilities and returns, we will establish a system that is better controlled and managed, in place of the chaos that has blighted the system for far too long.”

As he ran for prime minister, Keir Starmer promised an end to the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers, to hire 1,000 staff for a new “returns and enforcement unit”, and to introduce a new Border Security Command. Labour would “smash the gangs”, Starmer said in an often-used slogan.

Wednesday’s (21 August) announcement from Cooper signals how Labour intends to achieve that in government.

What do the experts make of Labour’s new asylum policies?

But experts are not convinced it will make a positive difference. Several told Big Issue the policies – and tone – represent a strengthening of the “hostile environment” and a return to the Conservative policies slammed by Labour as failures.

“Labour are choosing to ramp up hostile immigration policies and a ‘security’-driven approach. This is nothing new – in fact, it’s the same approach that’s led to people dying at our borders, treated inhumanely in prison-like detention centres and denied their rights,” said Mary Atkinson, campaigns and networks manager at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

“These tired old policies harm everyone in our communities. When migrants are denied the right to work, they are forced into abusive situations. empowering exploitative bosses and pitting workers against each other. When migrants are denied safe routes, they are forced to risk their lives taking dangerous journeys to reach our shores. The far right violence we saw sweep the country just weeks ago should have been an urgent wake up call.”

Labour’s new Border Security Force will be funded by the money saved from scrapping the Rwanda scheme. But Zoe Gardner, an independent migration policy expert, said Labour appeared to be looking for a Rwanda-style gimmick of its own.

“Funnelling more money into detention and deportation is brutal and simply targets the victims instead of addressing the system failures that create irregular migration,” said Gardner.

“In the wake of a wave of racist violence on our streets it is highly irresponsible to be continuing the failed narrative that we can or should simply get rid of immigrants we don’t want. This is a betrayal of the change we were promised at the election.”

In fact, rhetoric of “border security” and “smashing gangs” could embolden smuggling gangs, warned Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee and migrant rights programme director at Amnesty International UK.

“A new set of ministers promoting an age-old message of fear and hostility regarding some of the most victimised and traumatised people who may ever arrive in the UK, means that smuggling gangs and racist and Islamophobic hate-mongers at home are likely to feed off this to everyone’s detriment,” said Valdez-Symonds.

The expansion of immigration detention sparked alarm for Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at Freedom from Torture.

“We know from the survivors of torture we support that blunt enforcement policies and detention only ever cause devastating harm,” said Tsangarides.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

Read All
DWP benefit reforms to get people into work are 'smokescreen for cuts', disability activist says
dwp secretary liz kendall
Disability benefits

DWP benefit reforms to get people into work are 'smokescreen for cuts', disability activist says

'Back to cost of living crisis': Households will be £770 worse off by next UK election, experts say
woman in supermarket
Cost of living crisis

'Back to cost of living crisis': Households will be £770 worse off by next UK election, experts say

Buffer zones outside abortion clinics are step in right direction – but other problems persist
Abortion

Buffer zones outside abortion clinics are step in right direction – but other problems persist

'Where will it stop?': DWP to get 'direct access to bank accounts' in benefit fraud crackdown
rachel reeves' autumn budget
Benefit fraud

'Where will it stop?': DWP to get 'direct access to bank accounts' in benefit fraud crackdown

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue