Children of the Same Father
by Grace Buckley
On 27 April 2022, the Nationality and Borders Act became law, despite widespread campaigning against it, which included a letter signed by over 1000 leaders of faith communities.
Among the negative provisions in the Act are the introduction of a two tier system of refugee protection for those seeking asylum, based on how they came to the UK; limits on family reunion; and proposals (more accurately, threats) of ‘offshore processing’ of applicants – the infamous Rwanda scheme.
The government claimed these provisions were intended to save lives and break the economic model of people smuggling gangs. Every organisation involved with refugees challenged these claims, pointing out that the only people to suffer would be the asylum seekers themselves. No new safe and legal routes for applying for asylum were proposed.
We are now faced with the Illegal Migration Bill, brought to Parliament by Home Secretary Suella Braverman in March 2023 as the UK is facing a soaring cost of living crisis, an NHS cracking at the seams, galloping climate emergency and much more.
Login or subscribe below to continue reading this article
Grace Buckley is a member of the National Justice and Peace Commission, which advises the Scottish Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church.
Photo by Eric Masur on Unsplash