Statement: Rwanda Safety Bill

A Day of Mourning and Action

Yesterday was a day of grief.

Five people lost their lives in the English Channel during their journey seeking sanctuary.

We mourn alongside a father who saw his seven-year-old daughter die before him.

We grieve with people who have to risk their lives to seek refuge or to reunite with their families because there are no other safe routes available to them.

Yesterday, in the halls of Parliament, the “Safety of Rwanda Bill” was passed despite the highest court ruling that Rwanda is NOT a safe country for people seeking asylum. Our Prime Minister vowed to expand the detention estate, further entrenching a system that inflicts immeasurable harm on vulnerable individuals.

The grief felt by migrant communities is unimaginable as they mourn the loss of futures and grapple with paralysing uncertainty. We reject the government’s despicable attempt to disguise its cruel agenda to deprive people(migrants) of a fair chance in our asylum system as a “life-saving policy”. Since there is no evidence to suggest that the Rwanda scheme or increased detention deters individuals from crossing the channel.

We assert that immigration detention has no place in the UK’s Immigration policy. Our first-hand experts, through their lived experience of detention, visitors, visitors groups’ coordinators, and research, consistently highlight the harm inflicted by Immigration detention.

In grief, we look for hope and solidarity with people seeking sanctuary and people in detention. We stand firmer in our commitment to advocate for migrants’ rights and to build toward a future without immigration detention.

We urge you to act with us:

1. Sign and shared - Detention Action’s Plain Cruelty campaign: Petition · Stop the Rwanda Flights - United Kingdom · Change.org
2. Support the Freedom From Torture campaign and Tell AirTanker: don't end up on the wrong side of history;
3. Join the Campaign against private companies profiteering from Immigration detention. Activists are targeting Serco’s AGM to raise awareness among Serco’s shareholders and let them know we are holding them accountable for the company's profit from abuse against people on the move. Comms toolkit and sample tweet can be found here.
4. Join our network of visitors to immigration detention - Sign up to be a visitor to support people in detention;
5. Find out more about how you can join protests through Action Against Detention and Deportations - https://sites.google.com/view/no-deportations ;
6. Support local campaigns - Keep Campsfield Closed and No to Haslar - to prevent the new detention centres from opening;
7. Campaign for alternatives to detention - https://detentionforum.org.uk/our-campaign/