British children sleeping on night buses or in storage units.
An asylum seeker or torture survivor required to pay upfront for medical treatment.
These are just some consequences of the ‘hostile environment’.
We first heard about creating a really 'hostile environment'
for illegal immigrants in 2012 from then Home Secretary Theresa May.
We want to ensure that only legal migrants have access to the labour market, free health
services, housing, bank accounts and driving licenses. It is not just about making the
UK a more hostile place for illegal migrants, it is also about fairness.
Prior to that, immigration checks were performed mainly by government officers.
Now, public servants and private citizens, including doctors and landlords, are required
to perform immigration checks on people trying to access services.
Even the DVLA and banks are required to perform similar checks.
Landlords can be fined upto £3,000 per adult and sentenced to 5 years in prison.
The powers of immigration officers have also been increased. They can now enter licensed
premises without a warrant to check people’s right to work.
And until recently, EEA nationals who were found sleeping rough were detained or removed.
The High Court found this policy unlawful in December 2017.
When Theresa May said she wanted to create a hostile environment for illegal immigrants
she was, in fact, referring to "undocumented migrants", a general term used to describe
people who do not have permission to stay or to enter the U.K. There are many reasons
why an individual might be undocumented including: lack of legal representation, a change in
their circumstances, or simply delays in the processing of their immigration application.
They can be survivors of torture or human trafficking. They could even have been born
or grown up here. The objective of the government is to prevent
undocumented migrants from accessing basic things they need to live a normal life in
the UK - such as healthcare - making it unbearable for them to be here.
They also want to deter migrants from coming to the UK in the first place. These policies
besides being inhuman are in practice affecting all migrants including EEA nationals, refugees,
asylum seekers, and children
not just undocumented children as claimed, but indeed British children too. As part of
the changes, the Home Office has now far more power to access data from other departments,
such as the NHS Digital and the Department of Education.
Since autumn 2017, the government has pushed to charge migrants for medical treatment.
A health surcharge on immigration applications of £150 per year for students and £200 per
year for any other visa has been introduced. These figures will soon double.
The NHS is also now sharing some patient information with the Home Office, leaving, for instance,
victims of domestic violence afraid to approach the hospital or their GP for treatment, pregnant
women avoiding antenatal care and migrants charged tens of thousands of pounds for cancer
treatment.
One of the worst problems I see in my work is the impact of the hostile environment on
destitute families. Under the Children Act, local authorities must protect the welfare
of 'children in need' in their area. A 'child in need' should receive assistance, which
can include housing and financial support.
Families who cannot access public funds due to their immigration status often need this
help. In some London boroughs, immigration officers have been working within children
and young people services. And as a result, even street homeless families are afraid to
approach their council to receive the support they may be entitled to.
Since the introduction of these policies, reports of discrimination and racism are rising.
Migrants and advocates fear that a door has been opened by the government to publicly
consider them as second class citizens. The impact on children is significant and most
of these policies are disproportionately affecting single women of minority groups. Campaigners
and lawyers have also been critical of what appears to be a lower level of data protection
for migrants. Many groups are mobilising to challenge these
policies. They are, amongst others, Migrants Rights Network,
Doctors of the World, Migrants Organise,
Medact and Nelma and the ABC Schools Campaign.Locally, organisations
such as Project 17 and CARIS Haringey have been actively advocating to reduce destitution.
Local residents including migrants, have raised their voice too.
In Haringey, a new campaign, Haringey Welcome,
has been launched to promote dignity and respect for all.
A welcoming environment is the best response to hostility,
this is something we should all be involved in creating and should all be a part of.