On 27th October we asked people and organisations to sign an open letter to the newly elected Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, a Birmingham MP to say how we were worried the proud ‘brummie’ of welcoming sanctuary seekers was being undermined by divisive rhetoric and Government policy. We asked her to ‘Come for a cuppa, and talk to those of us who provide frontline services in our city about the impact of the rise in hostility towards people seeking sanctuary’ and to let us help her ‘build the proud Brummie welcome into policy.’
The letter is at the bottom of the page. Over 120 organisations and individuals from across the West Midlands signed the letter. It was covered in the Express and Star.
We have now received a response from Minister for Border Security & Asylum, sadly there was no take up of our invitation of a cuppa and a chat. You can read his response here
Since we sent the letter, the Home Secretary made a stament and published the Policy Paper ‘Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy’. If you want to find out more about that, you can read GMIAUs indepth blog explainer here and our statement on it here.
Letter to the Shabana Mahmood on 27th October.
Dear Home Secretary,
Congratulations on the new job, bab.
We’re writing to you as fellow Brummies: people who know and love our city and region, and the amazing place that migration has made it. We know that Birmingham wouldn’t be Birmingham without the people from around the world who’ve made this wonderful place their home.
This year, our city celebrates its 10th year as a City of Sanctuary. We’ve seen firsthand the amazing things people who’ve been forced from their homes by war and persecution can do when they’re supported to rebuild their lives here in our community. But we’re worried this proud tradition of sanctuary is being undermined by divisive rhetoric and dangerous policy.
At the Labour Party conference, you told people seeking safety, “your only route into the UK should be a safe and legal one”. But just days later, your Government made permanent a change that rips away the safe, legal route to reuniting with loved ones by ending automatic family resettlement. We know 56% of those who use this route are children, and 37% women, looking for a safe way to join family members who have been found to have very real protection needs. We fear this change will only force these more vulnerable people to risk dangerous journeys – or see their families ripped permanently apart. The fear and heartache this has caused in our community, among people who’ve been holding onto the hope of their families being made whole again, is impossible to describe.
Meanwhile, under your predecessor, the move-on period for many newly-recognised refugees was cut back to 28 days, from the 56-day trial your Government previously launched. Here in your home city, we’re already seeing the impact. The 28 day timeframe makes it almost impossible for people to find safe, stable accommodation in time to avoid homelessness. The effect on local homelessness charities, our local authority, and on the individual refugees facing the terrifying prospect of sleeping on the streets after finally being granted sanctuary has been devastating. Your proposed changes to Refugee Settlement prevents some refugees from becoming Brummies, and feeling part of the wonderful communities of Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Alongside this, we’re witnessing a frightening rise in hostility towards migrants across the country. As our Home Secretary, and a representative of our city, we look to you to lead the way in challenging this narrative, not by reinforcing the false idea that newcomers must be threatened into contributing more, but by wholeheartedly celebrating the immense and uncountable contribution that people from across the world have always made to our communities.
As your constituents and neighbours, we ask you to represent Birmingham, and the proud, diverse, welcoming place it is, as Home Secretary. Come for a cuppa, and talk to those of us who provide frontline services in our city about the impact of the rise in hostility towards people seeking sanctuary. Talk to the people scared their families will stay torn apart forever; to the people worried they’ll have nowhere to sleep once they’re finally granted refugee status. Talk to those of us who fear that those who want to divide our communities are being handed the microphone, while those of us who value welcome are sidelined.
Let us help you build the proud Brummie welcome into policy.
Signed:
Emma Birks, West Midlands Campaigns Manager, Asylum Matters
Plus 124 individuals, charities, faith groups and trade unions, including:
Baobab Women’s Project CIC
Birmingham City of Sanctuary group
Birmingham Community Hosting (BIRCH) Network
Birmingham UNISON
Brushstrokes Community Project
Care4Calais Coventry & Warwickshire
Erdington ESOL
Hope Projects
Journey LGBT+ Asylum group
Migration Policy and Practice
Musicians’ Union Midlands Region
OASIS Church
POMOC
Restore, a project of Birmingham Churches Together
St Chad’s Sanctuary
Stand up to racism Birmingham
Stories of Hope and Home
West Midlands Methodist District
West Midlands Synod, The United Reformed Church
Women Asylum Seekers Refugees and Migrants (WARM)
