Join the fight for asylum and immigration rights

John Stewart, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, looks at an important joint campaign against further restrictions on asylum and immigration rights.

The National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) and the National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR) have initiated a campaign against the Labour Government's proposals to further undermine the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and black people living in the UK. The intention is to include many other campaigns, trade unionists, immigration lawyers and any other organisations and individuals.

The new Immigration Bill, expected this month, will introduce proposals contained in the Immigration White Paper, published last summer - despite the overwhelming opposition from organisations and individuals working with refugees and asylum seekers.

The proposals include:

• complete withdrawal of benefits from all asylum seekers, replaced by food vouchers
• massive extension of immigration detention including the possibility of building new detention centres for asylum seekers
• removal of the right of appeal against deportation for people who have lived in the UK for over seven years
• increased powers of search and arrest for immigration officers
• maintaining the Tories immigration status checks by employers (despite Jack Straw's specific pledge not to operate this provision)
• requiring that visitors to the UK from countries needing a visa will have to pay financial bonds - a change which clearly discriminates against the families of black Britons coming to visit.

This intensifies the misery of Immigration Acts passed by the Tories, despite Labour opposition, over the past eighteen years. CAIR will provide information and briefings on the legislation as it goes through Parliament - including naming and shaming Labour MPs who vote for it. We will also be organising demonstrations and protests against the new Bill.

CAIR demonstraion in defence of asylum and immigration rights. Assemble 12 noon, 27th February, Embankment, London. Rally at Trafalgar Square.

More details of the campaign from NCADC on 0121-554 6947 or NAAR on 0171-247 9907; email: cair@ncadc.demon.co.uk

previous article ·  Feb '99 index of LLB ·  write to LLB ·  LLB home page ·  next article