Page last updated on Friday, 12th June 2009

RAG campaigns

Refugee Action Group opposes the increasing criminalisation of refugees and we oppose the opening of a permanent Enforcement Office in Northern Ireland.  Read our campaign leaflet here.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) currently has two temporary bases for Enforcement operations in Northern Ireland, one at Belfast International Airport and one at Templepatrick Police Station.  UKBA has set out its plans to open a permanent Enforcement base here and wants to have premises secured and ready by early 2009.

Enforcement aims of the UKBA are “to expel more illegal immigrants than last year…to increase the number of removals…to increase the capacity of the detention estate” (link)

The government has published a new draft Citizenship and Immigration Bill.  This legislation includes many draconian provisions which RAG opposes.  In particular, Clause 193 which sets out a “refugee defence” to various immigration crimes.

The government says that Clause 193 is modeled on article 31(1) of the Refugee Convention, which provides: 

“The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened in the sense of article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.”

However, RAG fears that refugees will find themselves in a situation of “guilty until proven innocent”, facing long periods in detention where they will have many practical and legal difficulties in invoking the “refugee defence”.

FURTHER LINKS

“It is wrong to criminalise migration”, says Thomas Hammarberg, Human Rights Commissioner, 2008.  Read here.

“Asylum system ‘shameful for UK’”, Independent Asylum Commission, 2008.  Read here.

“From deterrence to criminalization”, Institute of Race Relations, 2006.  Read here.