Raise the alarm: Five changes to immigration policy you need to know about
From asylum seeker deportations to new detention centres, read about the latest changes and how you can help.
While the Rwanda policy received widespread coverage, we’re noticing a whole new wave of harmful immigration policies going under the radar.
These changes around detention and deportation are deeply damaging and show a blatant disregard for justice.
We’re already seeing a surge in people being detained who urgently need legal advice.
Read the key policies below and donate now to help us fight back and provide immediate legal support.
The UK-France Deal
This deal is Rwanda Policy 2.0. It forcibly returns asylum seekers to France, in exchange for others, through a scheme that excludes most.
Many fleeing war or persecution have family, language, or community ties to the UK and strong asylum claims that should be, and would have previously been, processed here.
Even if someone passes through France, they have the right to seek asylum where they have safety and support.
People arrive by sea because the UK is an island and safer routes are unavailable. We have a duty to protect, not detain or deport, which is retraumatising, punitive, and unjust.
BID is already supporting over 40 vulnerable people detained under the scheme, including age-disputed children. We are deeply concerned about the lack of legal advice and translators.
Deport first, appeal later
The government is expanding the “Deport Now, Appeal Later” policy to 23 countries.
This policy forces people to appeal their deportation AFTER they have been deported. Including to places where they may be at risk or where lawyers, evidence, or access to technology is extremely limited.
In 2017 we intervened in the Supreme Court case of Kiarie and Byndloss (2017) which ruled this approach unlawful due to its denying individuals their right to a fair hearing.
Expanding it puts more families at risk, denies justice, retraumatises vulnerable people, and will exile people with valid human rights claims to remain in the UK.
New and expanded detention centres
Despite repeated warnings from human rights organisations, the government is reopening and expanding immigration removal centres.
This means more people will be detained without a statutory time limit or trial, and access to judicial oversight can be limited.
Families will be separated, and vulnerable people retraumatised, all with no automatic legal advice.
Reopening Campsfield House in Oxfordshire and Haslar IRC in Hampshire reverses previous plans to reduce detention, increasing capacity, with reported costs around £339 million.
These centres have long faced criticism for abuse, poor conditions, lack of mental health support, and limited access to healthcare and legal aid and must stay closed. Follow @KeepCampsfieldClosed to join communities fighting back.
New Police Powers
The Crime and Policing Bill would introduce new police powers aimed at ensuring “more foreign nationals are removed from the country.”
Under Clause 144, people with limited leave to remain could face deportation for accepting cautions for minor offences, even if they have legal permission to live in the UK and could have been found not guilty if they had fought their case in court.
At the time of accepting a caution, we're concerned people will not fully understand the consequences, especially without access to immigration legal advice or translators if needed. These powers threaten due process and risk disproportionately affecting racialised communities.
Sped up deportations
The Government plans to speed up deportations for people in prison, including removing people after serving just 30% of their sentence and in some cases immediately after sentencing.
While British citizens are free to rebuild their lives after serving their time, people classified as ‘foreign’, including many born or raised in the UK, face harsher and deeply discriminatory rules.
Rushing removals denies justice. Our research shows that immigration legal advice is already extremely difficult to access from inside prison, and these changes will make it even harder for people to challenge their deportation.
With even less time to fight their cases, people with strong legal claims to remain will be exiled from their homes, families and communities despite having the right to stay.
How you can help fight back
We’ve stopped harmful policies before, and with your support, we can do it again.
We are urgently responding to a surge in people being detained and are raising £10,000 to provide immediate legal support to those affected by these changes.
Your donation will help us:
- Provide urgent legal advice to people in detention
- Challenge unlawful detention and defend the right to appeal from within the UK
- Support families facing forced separation
Together, we can protect people’s rights and hold the Government accountable.
