“At this week’s Organised Immigration Summit (31 March – 1 April), the Prime Minister stated that there is ‘nothing progressive or compassionate about turning a blind eye’ to the misery people smuggling gangs inflict. He is of course right: no one wants to see vulnerable people pushed into the hands of dangerous criminals.
Yet this same call for compassion – a value which drives HIAS+JCORE’s work – has been notably absent through the summit discussions. We have repeatedly heard about deterrence, enforcement, and arrests. But a time when the need for protection has never been greater, we urgently need this same international energy and cooperation to be invested into workable solutions, including safe routes.
We have seen progress at home since the last government. The 56-day ‘move-on period’ trial, closure of the Bibby Stockholm, and focus on integration are all serious steps towards a fairer asylum system. But the Prime Minister’s promise to avoid the ‘gimmicks of the last 14 years here in Britain’ rings hollow in a context where the Government is reportedly considering ‘return hubs’ in the Balkans – a plan some have likened to the rightly scrapped Rwanda policy.
We cannot allow a return to the divisive politics of the previous government, where refugees are treated as a burden, and used as a political football. In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister spoke with empathy about the appalling conditions he witnessed in Calais in 2016. We understand the need for control. But we must also ensure that this spirit of compassion endures in our asylum policy today.”