New government seeks to bully judges
Those expecting a new spirit of fairness and social liberalism to engulf the UK Border Agency (UKBA) following the insertion of the LibDems into government are perhaps beginning to realise the folly of their hopes in the light of recent news.
By Frances Webber, © Institute of Race Relations 10 June 2010
Those expecting a new spirit of fairness and social liberalism to engulf the UK Border Agency (UKBA) following the insertion of the LibDems into government are perhaps beginning to realise the folly of their hopes in the light of recent news.
By Frances Webber, © Institute of Race Relations 10 June 2010
Baffour Obeng. Scheduled to be deported by British Airways on 13 June, NCADC Campaign Alert:
The Stonewall report No Going Back: Lesbian and gay people and the asylum system found almost systemic homophobia in the UK asylum system resulting in lesbian, gay and bisexual asylum seekers regularly being refused sanctuary. Baffour is one of those people refused sanctuary.
Read more here . . . .
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EDM 191: Refugee And Migrant Justice Charity
That this House notes that the legal advice charity Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) is in danger of closing because it is facing a cash crisis because a large proportion of legal aid work is now paid upon completion, meaning payment can take anything up to two years; further notes that as a result the charity has a £1.8 million backlog of payments; further notes that senior legal and human rights experts, faith leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Citizens Advice, Liberty and Mind all back the campaign to rescue the legal advice charity from the cash crisis that is not of their own making; is aware that RMJ is not asking for new money but simply prompt payment of legal aid by the Legal Services Commission, or failing that, interest-free loans by the Government to cover the gap; and calls for the legal aid payment system to be changed to ensure charities are paid promptly for their work.
EDM 191 tabled by Caroline Lucas
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41114&SESSION=905
Put your MP to work request they sign EDM 191
Early Day Motions are very good ways of raising issues in parliament, which may not get debated in normal sittings of parliament. You can contact your MP for free, through: WriteToThem.Com
http://www.writetothem.com/
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Hundreds sign petition backing Blackburn asylum seeker
Campaigners from Blackburn Cathedral have signed a petition calling for an asylum seeker to be allowed to stay in England. But the town’s MP Jack Straw, who has reviewed the case file, issued a blow to Zakariah Isingoma's case after revealing they were ‘very serious doubts about his credibility’.
Read more here . . . .
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Asylum battle girl loses battle against deportation to Malawi
A "Well liked and successful" young girl known as Precious who has spent most of her life in the UK faces being sent back to Malawi - partly because she is so successful and popular. Tionge Mhango and her "well respected" mother, Florence, 32, live in Glasgow and have been involved in a long legal battle to avoid removal to a country the 10-year-old does not know.
Read more here . . . .
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Review into ending the detention of children for immigration purposes
Ministers recently announced a Review into the ending of the detention of children for immigration purposes. I attach a copy of the Terms of Reference for the Review.
We are keen to receive your views and participation in the Review. The Terms of Reference indicate some of the issues we will be looking at and we would welcome your thoughts on any of these areas. However, I would like to highlight a couple of specific areas on which we would be particularly grateful for views and support:
* How can we improve our engagement with families in dealing with asylum applications? For example, do we need to review the contact arrangements with those families and their access to legal representation?
* How can we promote and improve the current voluntary return process to increase the take up from families who have no legal right to remain in the UK? What do you believe UK Border Agency's role is here and is there a role for others in engaging with families around this option?
* If a family chooses not to leave the country, with or without support from UKBA, what might an alternative family returns model look like? How should UKBA respond where a family refuses to comply with removal (recognising the need to strike an appropriate balance between our section 55 safeguarding duty and the enforcement of immigration rules)?
We would also be keen to have any relevant evidence or research on alternatives to detention in other jurisdictions.
Read more here . . . .
The Stonewall report No Going Back: Lesbian and gay people and the asylum system found almost systemic homophobia in the UK asylum system resulting in lesbian, gay and bisexual asylum seekers regularly being refused sanctuary. Baffour is one of those people refused sanctuary.
Read more here . . . .
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
EDM 191: Refugee And Migrant Justice Charity
That this House notes that the legal advice charity Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) is in danger of closing because it is facing a cash crisis because a large proportion of legal aid work is now paid upon completion, meaning payment can take anything up to two years; further notes that as a result the charity has a £1.8 million backlog of payments; further notes that senior legal and human rights experts, faith leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Citizens Advice, Liberty and Mind all back the campaign to rescue the legal advice charity from the cash crisis that is not of their own making; is aware that RMJ is not asking for new money but simply prompt payment of legal aid by the Legal Services Commission, or failing that, interest-free loans by the Government to cover the gap; and calls for the legal aid payment system to be changed to ensure charities are paid promptly for their work.
EDM 191 tabled by Caroline Lucas
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41114&SESSION=905 Put your MP to work request they sign EDM 191
Early Day Motions are very good ways of raising issues in parliament, which may not get debated in normal sittings of parliament. You can contact your MP for free, through: WriteToThem.Com
http://www.writetothem.com/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Hundreds sign petition backing Blackburn asylum seeker
Campaigners from Blackburn Cathedral have signed a petition calling for an asylum seeker to be allowed to stay in England. But the town’s MP Jack Straw, who has reviewed the case file, issued a blow to Zakariah Isingoma's case after revealing they were ‘very serious doubts about his credibility’.
Read more here . . . .
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Asylum battle girl loses battle against deportation to Malawi
A "Well liked and successful" young girl known as Precious who has spent most of her life in the UK faces being sent back to Malawi - partly because she is so successful and popular. Tionge Mhango and her "well respected" mother, Florence, 32, live in Glasgow and have been involved in a long legal battle to avoid removal to a country the 10-year-old does not know.
Read more here . . . .
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Review into ending the detention of children for immigration purposes
Ministers recently announced a Review into the ending of the detention of children for immigration purposes. I attach a copy of the Terms of Reference for the Review.
We are keen to receive your views and participation in the Review. The Terms of Reference indicate some of the issues we will be looking at and we would welcome your thoughts on any of these areas. However, I would like to highlight a couple of specific areas on which we would be particularly grateful for views and support:
* How can we improve our engagement with families in dealing with asylum applications? For example, do we need to review the contact arrangements with those families and their access to legal representation?
* How can we promote and improve the current voluntary return process to increase the take up from families who have no legal right to remain in the UK? What do you believe UK Border Agency's role is here and is there a role for others in engaging with families around this option?
* If a family chooses not to leave the country, with or without support from UKBA, what might an alternative family returns model look like? How should UKBA respond where a family refuses to comply with removal (recognising the need to strike an appropriate balance between our section 55 safeguarding duty and the enforcement of immigration rules)?
We would also be keen to have any relevant evidence or research on alternatives to detention in other jurisdictions.
Read more here . . . .
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