Policies of cruelty only harm everyone

Policies of cruelty only harm everyone

In their apparent attempts to limit losses to Reform during the local elections, Labour is pursuing policies which harm some of the most vulnerable in society, with no consideration for their voices or experiences.

This latest policy of denying citizenship to refugees based on their manner of entry not only shows the inhumanity inherent within current “border policies”. It risks the UK, once again, violating some of the most central tenets of International Refugee Law. not to face penalties for their manner of entry, which this clearly is, and for a state to ensure that they can acclimate once granted asylum, which this places a significant barrier towards.

People come to the UK seeking safety, that is something which should be lauded, not treated as something to be denied for some limited political gain.

Labour has the ability to change the way people talk about immigration and asylum. Rather than pandering to the likes of Reform, it could be listening to those most affected, the migrants themselves, and enacting policies which support everyone.

They have not yet chosen to do this though. The recently released footage of deportations shows that dehumanisation is being baked into policy all over again. This is footage of people scared, suffering, fearful for the future, and it is being used for, essentially, a political advert to say “vote for us”.

Migrants, including refugees, are part of our communities. We deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, just like everyone else. Instead, however, we are constantly being used in some kind of political game to see who can treat us more badly. Our voices are ignored, our experiences dismissed, our families and lives ripped apart, just to score political points.

The Hostile Environment may have had its name changed, the party which is in power may be different, by the impact on our lives, on our communities remains the same. These videos of deportation, the increased raids and boasting about how many people have been locked away in detention centres, all have the same inhumanity and cruelty about them as Theresa May’s “Go Home Vans”.

We call upon this government to meet with migrants, talk to us, hear what we are going through, and the damage its policies are causing. Labour has the opportunity to combat rising division by implementing policies which actually help everyone. They need to change course, and detoxify the debate around immigration. Policies which increase hostility against us have already been shown to only divide all of us further.