- Advocacy and campaigning Initiatives
- Government and Parliamentary updates
- Reports and research
- Resources, events, jobs and training
- What we’re reading, watching and listening to
1. Advocacy and campaigning Initiatives
Communities Not Camps
The Home Office has confirmed the camp at the ex military barracks in Napier in Folkestone is set to close in September 2025, marking the end of five years of campaigning against unfit accommodation at the site including a mass covid outbreak of covid, fires and prison-like conditions.
Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe welcomed the closure noting longstanding concerns about conditions, whilst those who have supported people at the site have spoken of the dedication of local volunteers. Meanwhile, the Government has removed Stay Belvedere hotels, a subcontractor of Clearsprings involved in the management of Napier as well as hotels in London and the South East, from its supply chain with Minister Angela Eagle saying “significant elements” of its behaviour “fell short of what we’d expect from a Government supplier”. Meanwhile, more than 250 individuals held at Manston are taking legal action against the Government, claiming their detention was unlawful and their rights were violated.
The camp at Wethersfield in Essex however remains open – with its capacity expanding – and the closure of Napier cannot come soon enough. In the wake of the recent High Court ruling that three vulnerable people were unlawfully accommodated at Wethersfield, we believe now is the time for the Government to make a full commitment to finally stop warehousing those seeking safety in harmful ex-military sites.
TAKE ACTION: the camps must close now!
We’ve launched an open letter to the Home Secretary to show widespread support for a final end to the camps. If your organisation or group would like to sign you can do so using this form. We hope this letter will be signed by organisations supporting people navigating the asylum system, in particular those working with people who have experienced unsuitable accommodation. Although this form is for organisational signatures, any individuals with direct experience of living in the large scale sites – Wethersfield, Napier, Bibby Stockholm, Penally – who would like their names to be included or to be involved in this initiative in any other way are also very welcome to contact us at hannah@asylummatters.org.
Fight for Asylum Rights: amending the borders bill to report on fatalities
There is a huge data gap when it comes to fatalities at our borders and in our asylum system. We know from the data that is available, that 2024 was the most fatal year on record both for Channel crossings and within asylum accommodation. We welcome the Government’s commitment to bringing down the number of deaths within the asylum system, but the starting point must be recording official statistics, and then reporting them transparently in the same way that the Ministry of Justice reports on deaths in custody and the Department of Health reports on deaths in hospitals.
With this in mind, as part of the Fight for Asylum Rights campaign, we have worked with Labour MP Nadia Whittome to table an amendment to the borders bill which would place a duty on the Home Secretary to publish official data on deaths quarterly, in line with the publication of immigration statistics.
This is not just about statistics however – people who lose their lives at sea or whilst waiting for their asylum claims to be heard are too often people whose names we never get to hear, whose stories are never told. We don’t know what their hopes, dreams and aspirations were. What peril they had fled from. Where their families are. In cases where it is safe to do so, we would like to see this amendment lead to the names of people who have lost their lives in our asylum system to be read out in Parliament.
TAKE ACTION:
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Write to your MP and ask them to add their signature to report stage amendment NC1. You can find your MP here. You can write your own message and share our parliamentary briefing on the amendment with them which you can find here. Care4Calais are also developing a ‘write to your MP’ action around the amendment – you can find out more by contacting charlotte.khan@care4calais.org.
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We are developing digital assets you can share on social media along with the hashtag #KnowTheirNames which we will be circulating soon
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Sign up to the Fight for Asylum Rights pledge to be added to our mailing list for the campaign and not miss out on any updates on the amendment and the bill at www.fighttheantirefugeelaws.org.
Rights groups urge PM to end harmful anti-migrant rhetoric
More than 130 human rights and refugee organisations have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to moderate his language around migration. In an open letter, the groups expressed concern that recent political rhetoric risks fuelling hostility and division, particularly towards people seeking asylum. They emphasised the need for compassionate and evidence-based approaches, rather than language that frames migrants as a burden or threat. The letter follows Starmer’s recent remarks about migration straining public services and undermining border security. Read the full article here.
Rights not raids open letter
Regularise have organised an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer under the banner of Rights Not Raids. It calls for accessible and inclusive pathways to regularisation for all undocumented people, labour rights and protections for all workers regardless of immigration status, and an end to toxic, dehumanising rhetoric that scapegoats migrants and fuels hostility. You can read and sign the letter here.
Call for Evidence: Scrutiny of Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill (Deadline: 11 April)
A final reminder that the Joint Committee on Human Rights launched a call for evidence on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which proposes sweeping changes to the UK’s immigration system. The inquiry seeks views on how the bill could impact human rights, including new criminal offences and expanded powers to seize electronic devices. Submissions are open until Thursday 11th April 2025.
Protection Not Punishment: action against criminalisation and citizenship ban
Freedom From Torture have developed a ‘write to your MP’ action that urges parliamentarians to stop criminalising people for the routes they have taken to reach safety and to reverse the citizenship ban for refugees. You can participate in the action here.
Lift the Ban
It’s an exciting time for the Lift the Ban campaign! Hot off the heels of lived experience campaigners delivering incredibly powerful campaign actions in Parliament Square, Glasgow and Coventry, we have been working with Labour MP Alex Sobel to table a report stage amendment to the Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Bill which requires the Home Secretary to report back to Parliament annually on its working rights policies for people seeking asylum. Once the amendment has been published we will share it with you and ask you to encourage your MP to add their signature. The Lift the Ban coalition is also soon publishing a new report on the economic, social and political case for granting working rights now, with a parliamentary launch event in May. We’ll be in touch with more information soon.
2. Government and Parliamentary updates
International summit on migration
Sir Keir Starmer hosted an international summit on migration recently, emphasising his plans to ‘smash the gangs’, alongside an op-ed he published in the Mail telling people they were ‘right to be angry’ about ‘illegal’ migration.
3. Reports and research
Threadbare The Quality of Immigration Legal Aid Report
Migrants Organise, Haringey Migrant Support Centre, NACCOM, South London Refugee Association and Refugee Action joint report aims to highlight the combined impact of the destruction of publicly-funded legal representation and of hostile immigration policies on people’s experiences of the quality of immigration legal aid services (whether giving, receiving or observing them). Read the report here.
#StopBorderApartheid: new research on AI towers
Migrants’ Rights Network are hosting new research by Samuel Story into the use of Autonomous Surveillance Towers (ASTs) on the UK border. MRN are asking the Government to be transparent about the nature of AST contracts, where the towers are located and the potential impact on people seeking safety. There are a series of actions MRN are asking campaigners to take, including sharing the film and posts on socials alongside the hashtag #StopBorderApartheid, as well as writing to your local MP and more – find out more here.
Right to Remain survey: evaluation of Legal Updates
In addition to maintaining and expanding the Right to Remain Toolkit, R2R also publish regular short Legal Updates on their website. In 2024/25, they have so far published 55 Legal Updates. Legal Updates are designed to provide critical information about changes in the asylum and immigration policy and practice that might have an impact on our community. They are conducting a short evaluation survey of our Legal Updates, in order to better understand how they are used by our community. The survey will take less than five minutes to complete. Deadline: Fri 18 April 2025.
4. Resources, events, jobs and training
Screening of The Battle for Laikipia
Racial Justice Network are hosting a film screening and Q&A of The Battle for Laikipia at Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds. The documentary takes a hard, unflinching look at a battle over land and resources between the semi-nomadic Sambaru people and ranchers of European descent, with the Q&A featuring the film’s director, Pete Nurimi.
WiRL seminar: ‘Safe Countries’ and Women’s International Protection
The concept of ‘safe countries’ has long been used by States to distinguish between and deny protection to asylum claimants on the basis that they have or may have protection in another country. However, there is little analysis from a gender-sensitive perspective within the literature and policy guidance in this area. Join Women in Refugee Law for this online panel discussion where we will consider this concept in the context of protecting refugee women – 7th May 2pm-3.15pm (BST). Details and registration here.
Jobs:
- Right to Remain are recruiting a Senior Legal Education Officer, deadline is 5pm 6th April.
- Solidaritech are recruiting an Assistant IT Technician, deadline is 22nd April.
- Action Foundation are recruiting for a Language & Learning Project manager with a closing date of 5th May, more information here.
- NEON is recruiting a Senior Network Organiser, deadline is April 13th.
- Beavan Healthcare are recruiting a Health Inclusion Support Worker, deadline is 13th April.
- SMK are recruiting a Head of Programmes, deadline is 5pm 22nd April.
- African Rainbow Family are recruiting a Human Resources and Administrative Officer, deadline 25th April.
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- What we’re reading, watching and listening to
