Bishops of England and Wales: Refugees are human beings

By Lisa Zengarini

The Bishops of England and Wales have reiterated their call urging the British government to expand safe routes for asylum seekers and to redouble its efforts to address the root causes  that force people to flee their countries

The Illegal Migration Bill to become law

The appeal was made after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak won a final series of votes in the House of Lords earlier this week on the controversial Illegal Migration Bill, which gives the government the power to detain and remove anyone arriving in the UK illegally and bars illegal migrants from claiming asylum in the country in the future.

The proposed legislation is central to the PM’s pledge to stop migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats. The argument is that the measure will help block human traffickers and discourage migrants from making the dangerous sea journey from France.

Under the bill, the duty to remove anyone who comes to the UK illegally also applies to victims of trafficking and slavery, accompanied children and unaccompanied children as soon as they turn 18. The legislation would also scrap existing legal caps on how long those entering the UK illegally can be held ahead of being deported.

In the past weeks, debate had stalled over amendments presented by a cross-party group which were  finally rejected by the Lords on Monday night opening the way for the bill to become law. 

Protecting refugees

Commenting on the legislation, Bishop Paul McAleenan, head of the Migrants and Refugees department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, reiterated their strong reservations on the provision saying that it “stands at odds with the teaching of the Church on welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating refugees”.

“Refugees are human beings made in the image and likeness of God, not a political problem to be solved”, he said. “We must never make recognition of people’s dignity dependent upon where they come from or how they reach our country”.

While reaffirming the Church’s commitment to continue to welcome those seeking sanctuary in the UK  Bishop McAleenan urged the British government  to expand safe routes and to redouble its efforts to tackle factors that force people to flee their homes,  such as conflict, persecution, and climate change.

The call was reiterated on July  19 by the Chair of Caritas Social Action Network , Bishop Terence Drainey,  who has invited Catholics to write to Members of Parliament about safe routes for those seeking asylum. 

Criticism from the UN

Criticism of the Illegal Migration Bill has also been expressed, amongst others, by the United Nations. In a joint statement released on July 18, the UN  High Commissioner for Human RightsVolker Türk,  and the High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the legislation  breaks the UK's obligations under international law and "will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection" . 

Court of Appeal on plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda 

The Lords’ approval of the bill came nearly three weeks after the British Court of Appeal ruled that a plan to deport some asylum-seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.

The scheme, which was announced in April 2022, would see some sent to the east African nation, where they may be granted refugee status to stay ,  or could apply to settle there on other grounds or seek asylum in another "safe third country".

The UK has paid the Rwandan government £140 million for the plan. However, no asylum seeker has actually been sent to Rwanda so far as the deal has met several legal challenges.

In the latest ruling the appeal judges said Rwanda is not a safe third country because of "deficiencies" in its asylum system which mean that some claimants could be sent back to their home countries, where they might face persecution. According to the Court  "unless and until" those deficiencies are corrected, removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.

Plans  to house asylum seekers on barges 

In 2022  Britain received more than 89,000 asylum applications, the highest number for 20 years. Of these, more than 23,800 were granted a form of protection.

In the same year, there were 45,755 people detected arriving in Britain on small boats, according to the UK government,  60 per cent  more than in 2021.

Government officials say the number of small boat arrivals has  “overwhelmed” the UK’s asylum system and is no longer financially sustainable. Earlier this year Downing Street announced another controversial plan to house asylum seekers on barges saying it was a cheaper alternative to placing them in hotels. The first barge, named  Bibby Stockholm, arrived in Portland in Dorset this week.