Following the enacting of the controversial Illegal Immigration Bill, Hope Projects held a hugely successful away day at the Spring Housing head office in Birmingham on Thursday the 30th of November 2023

As Hope Project’s Selbin Kabote reports, highly informative presentations were delivered at the planning day. The director of ‘Tactic’ and a voluntary member of the legal team at Hope, Sue Conlan outlined the legal implications of the Act, while Bridget Young of NACCOM spoke on how frontline organisations can prepare for the impact of the ACT. The refugee and Migrant Centre’s Danai Papachrsitopoulou, did a presentation on the likely impact of the Act on clients. The final presentation was delivered by Faith Maina from the Red Cross, who spoke on how the organization is considering the implications of the Act on their work. A member of the Hope Projects ‘experts by experience’ group gave a very powerful and moving presentation on the lived experience of the asylum system. He spoke about the current system and what the Act may mean.

The conference attendants who also included Hope Projects trustees, held group discussions during which they considered the impact and practical implications of the Act on clients. The Hope Projects planning day workshop was facilitated by Nick Scott-Flynn.

Background to the illegal Migration Act

The Illegal Migration Act, which became law on 20 July 2023, alongside the Government’s Rwanda Plan, officially known as the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, fundamentally changes the way the UK’s asylum system operates. If implemented fully it will prevent most people seeking asylum from being able to seek protection here. The legislation sets out that people will be detained and sent to a so called ‘third safe country’. Despite the Supreme Court ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for people seeking asylum, the Government is pushing ahead with plans to ensure people are sent there and intends to bring forward emergency legislation. Previous research from the Refugee Council has highlighted the potential overall impact the legislation and Rwanda Plan will have, including how it will leave hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in perpetual limbo, will result in tens of thousands of children being locked up in detention centres, and will cost billions of pounds. All the while failing to achieve the Government’s stated aims of ‘stopping the boats’.