Windrush Generation Petition

[nxjen]

You may have read how some who arrived with their parents from the West Indies before 1971, whose citizen status was never formally regularised, are now being threatened with deportation. A petition has been set up to declare an amnesty so that they can remain. Please sign to prevent such inhuman treatment.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/216539

[siousxiesue]

Done

[EPB]

Done

[sjsl]

Done and circulated...

[ianr]

They're unlikely to be British citizens. If they were, the evidence would be clear. But they are lawfully settled in the UK, though apparently without evidence that the Home Office will accept of their continuing residence since then.

Yesterday Amber Rudd, our current Home Secretary, announced in the Commons a special Home Office task force to deal with the problem. This was actually one of the suggestions (see below) proposed in a Legal Action Group report, "Chasing Status", written by Fiona Bawdon. It includes a number of case histories, some of them very similar to those being publicised now, and some explanation of the relevant law:

"Areas for consideration include:

Creating specialist Home Office unit

Recognising that these cases require a specific understanding of the history of immigration control and how Commonwealth citizens have been affected, to establish a specialised caseworking unit with the Home Office, to which

applications such as these will be directed. A specialist unit would be able to fast-track cases for migrants who have been in the UK since 1973."

Chasing Status ( https://www.lag.org.uk/?fileid=-17369, 16.5 MB) was published in 2014.

[IlonaM]

JCWI have prepared a briefing on their blog in the last few days: http://www.jcwi.org.uk/windrush-deportations-hostile-environment

'JCWI was once again in the news all week, as we led the fight to stop the illegal deportation of members from the so-called Windrush generation. Our action along with The Guardian Newspaper and C4 News in highlighting the issue in the media, together with The Runnymede Trust, iMix and members of the Caribbean diplomatic community, those affected, celebrities and members of the Caribbean diaspora here in the UK came together last week to say enough is enough and demand the UK Government act quickly to resolve the problem.

Petition

Thousands of people who arrived in the UK as children in the first wave of Commonwealth immigration face are being threatened with deportation.These are people who have lived and worked in the UK for decades but many are now being told they are here illegally. A new petition on the government's website calling on the Home Office to grant them an amnesty has attracted more than 100,000 signatures. You can sign it here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/216539

Rights Stripped Away

The problem arose from the fact that under the 1971 Immigration Act, all Commonwealth citizens already living in the UK were given indefinite leave to remain - but the right to free movement between Commonwealth nations was ended from that date onwards. However, the Home Office did not keep a record of those granted leave to remain or issue any paperwork confirming it, meaning it is difficult for the individuals to now prove they are in the UK legally.

The Migration Observatory at Oxford University estimates there are 500,000 people resident in the UK who were born in a Commonwealth country and arrived before 1971.

"This is a slap in the face for the Windrush generation," said Patrick Vernon, who started the petition, a reference to the Empire Windrush, which brought workers from the West Indies to Britain in 1948.

People who had "worked hard, paid their taxes, raised children and see Britain as their home" were being "threatened and harassed" by the Home Office in what he described as "an historic injustice".

It was particularly ironic, he added, because 2018 was the 70th anniversary of the Empire Windrush's arrival at Tilbury docks, in Essex.Labour MP David Lammy, who is backing the campaign, tweeted: "We invited people as citizens, Home Office treating them like criminals."

Hostile Environment

Gary Younge meanwhile reported on how this was all part of a toxic system and being caused by Theresa May?s creation of the Hostile Environment on immigration in 2012 which has made it increasingly difficult for immigrants to access health care, housing, education and access and you can read his fascinating Op Ed here.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/13/commonwealth-citizens-harassment-british-immigration-policy

Meanwhile, our Chief Executive pointed out that on a daily basis here at JCWI we were coming across cases of Australian, Nigerian, Canadian and South African, Indian and Pakistan-born citizens facing the same problem.

But it was "not as likely you will be asked to demonstrate your immigration status" by landlords or officials if you were "white and of European origin", JCWI chief executive, Satbir Singh, told BBC News.

JCWI is calling for Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1971 to be given the same status as EU citizens living in the UK, who will face a much lower burden of proof of residence than the Commonwealth citizens after Brexit.

The final details have yet to be confirmed but EU citizens may be able to produce things like school registration paperwork or library cards to prove residence, something that would not be accepted from Commonwealth citizens and the fight isn?t finished yet.

Over the next week or so we hope to report again. Meanwhile, please do read this outstanding summation by the issues by Amelia Gentleman who has reported on the story for The Guardian from the beginning: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/12/caribbean-nations-demand-solution-to-illegal-immigrants-anomaly'

[Jellybeanz]

Such an important issue - I hope the petition gets huge publicity along with David Lammy's amazing speech yesterday in the House of Commons.

[heartblock]

Amber Rudd?s assertion that records were destroyed as ?data protection? isn?t actually true. Windrush manifests with the same sort of personal data are legally viewable, through searches on line as proven by a very well respected art historian. The data was destroyed on Theresa May?s watch I believe, probably to save money rather than anything else - but does show how much they don?t care about certain sectors of our community. I can?t believe people support and vote for these awful people.

[DulwichFox]

heartblock Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Amber Rudd?s assertion that records were destroyed

> as ?data protection? isn?t actually true. Windrush

> manifests with the same sort of personal data are

> legally viewable, through searches on line as

> proven by a very well respected art historian.

The data was destroyed on Theresa May?s watch I

> believe, probably to save money rather than

> anything else - but does show how much they don?t

> care about certain sectors of our community. I

> can?t believe people support and vote for these

> awful people.

Theresa May has said the decision to destroy the landing cards of Windrush migrants was taken under Labour.

DulwichFox

[Mick Mac]

heartblock Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Amber Rudd?s assertion that records were destroyed

> as ?data protection? isn?t actually true. Windrush

> manifests with the same sort of personal data are

> legally viewable, through searches on line as

> proven by a very well respected art historian. The

> data was destroyed on Theresa May?s watch I

> believe, probably to save money rather than

> anything else - but does show how much they don?t

> care about certain sectors of our community. I

> can?t believe people support and vote for these

> awful people.

TM says today that the decision to destroy records was a Labour decision.

Are you tempted to retract how it reflects on TM, or say that its Labour that care less about sectors of community?

[heartblock]

Did she - must be true then.

[IlonaM]

Having worked in the field both under the Tories and Labour, I would say that their policies and treatment of migrants and asylum seekers is not that different. There was always a culture of disbelief and cynicism at UKBA and its predecessor. A culture which is also prevalent at the DWP.

[heartblock]

Hi IlonaM, yes I would agree with that, although it has felt particularyly hostile the last 6-7 years. The reports of people losing their jobs and being denied healthcare treatment is heartbreaking. Let?s hope this is resolved soon.

[flocker spotter]

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> heartblock Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Amber Rudd?s assertion that records were

> destroyed

> > as ?data protection? isn?t actually true.

> Windrush

> > manifests with the same sort of personal data

> are

> > legally viewable, through searches on line as

> > proven by a very well respected art historian.

> The

> > data was destroyed on Theresa May?s watch I

> > believe, probably to save money rather than

> > anything else - but does show how much they

> don?t

> > care about certain sectors of our community. I

> > can?t believe people support and vote for these

> > awful people.

>

> TM says today that the decision to destroy records

> was a Labour decision.

>

> Are you tempted to retract how it reflects on TM,

> or say that its Labour that care less about

> sectors of community?

This isn't a binary issue. Neither side are able to bask in the glow of glory here. To reduce it to finger pointing is imbecilic and childish, leading to the inevitable death spiral of deceit and evasive fictions. We are now seeing the gerrymandering of the discussion into a polarisation between subjective good and bad migrants. Its still finger pointing and it still purposefully fails to attack the root of the problem. Windrush have been grudgingly approved, now we can move onto the next tranche for demonisation with added legitimised gusto

It all gets so confusing, maybe there should be able to easily identify those who walk amongst as being different ? any historical precedent we could adopt for this task ?

[IlonaM]

Something which might be of interest to both the Windrush Generation and their supporters and also others concerned by the 'Hostile Environment' -

Human rights groups publish ?how-to? guide to resist the ?Hostile Environment?:

http://www.righttoremain.org.uk/blog/how-to-guide-resist-hostile-environment/

[Loz]

IlonaM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Human rights groups publish ?how-to? guide to

> resist the ?Hostile Environment?:

The current Windrush ridiculousness is what happens when policy gets ramped up to ever increasingly stupid levels. Someone who has been living in the UK for 20, 30, 40 years must have a paper trail that should be easy to establish to an reasonable level that someone has been in the country for most of their lives. But the home office has been asking for - I think - four pieces of evidence per year someone has been in the UK. Utterly ridiculous.

But... I don't think that documents like this help at all.

This seems like a case of bandwagon-jumping - leveraging the Windrush fiasco with a document that pretty much opposes every check for legality of status. Personally, I think part of reason the 'hostile environment' was established was was to try and disrupt the tactic that some support groups were using to slow down and flood the system by employing each and every single legal line for each and every case, dragging the process out for years.

So, on one side we have the "No Immigration" camp and on the other the "Let Everyone In" camp. Neither is correct. We are at this point because the two extremes clashed. Somewhere in the middle there is a sensible policy but, right now, we are nowhere near that because none of the players in the debate seem to actually want a sensible policy.

[IlonaM]

If you had worked in the field or followed the news you would know the direct impact of the 'hostile environment' on migrants and asylum seekers - not just in respect of the Windrush scandal, but going back years and affecting people from many countries and backgrounds. I suggest Loz that you do a little more research before thinking that this report has arisen from 'jumping on the bandwagon'.

For those who are interested, there will be a 'Support "Windrush Generation" amnesty debate' demonstration on 30th April organised by Stand Up to Racism. Fpr those who avoid Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/186644592137225/) the details are as follows:

'Date & time: 30 April at 16:00?19:00

Location: Parliament Square, London, SW1P 3, United Kingdom

Details

We will gather to support the mass petition that has triggered a debate. We support the call for an amnesty for the "Windrush generation" who were invited to the UK as British citizens. We call on the government to stop all deportations, make sure there are no problems with documentation and establish an amnesty for those who came here as minors.'

[Loz]

IlonaM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If you had worked in the field or followed the news you would know the direct impact of the

> 'hostile environment' on migrants and asylum seekers - not just in respect of the Windrush

> scandal, but going back years and affecting people from many countries and backgrounds. I suggest Loz

> that you do a little more research before thinking that this report has arisen from 'jumping on the

> bandwagon'.

Would being an immigrant myself count as 'doing some research'? So, yes, I do know what amazing value immigrants bring to this country. :) And I also know that it would be damn near impossible for me to find four pieces of documentation for each of the years I have been here. And that's coming from a bit of a document magpie.

But, over to you. With your experience, you'll be able to tell us what you think is a sensible immigration policy.

[heartblock]

Someone far more eloquent than me. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/21/tory-windrush-scandal-theresa-may-derek-laud?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[uncleglen]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/948785/Windrush-scandal-Theresa-May-Jeremy-Corbyn-news-Andrew-Neil-BBC-This-Week

according to this Gordon Brown ordered the destruction of the Landing Passes in 2009, which for some people was the only proof they had as they had never acquired a passport or citizenship.

Of course- NO-ONE is going to believe it-are they? especially on the libtardfest that is the EDF

[flocker spotter]

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/948785/Windrush-

> scandal-Theresa-May-Jeremy-Corbyn-news-Andrew-Neil

> -BBC-This-Week

>

> according to this Gordon Brown ordered the

> destruction of the Landing Passes in 2009, which

> for some people was the only proof they had as

> they had never acquired a passport or

> citizenship.

> Of course- NO-ONE is going to believe it-are they?

> especially on the libtardfest that is the EDF

"Libtard"

c. Liberal retard

How apt that in a thread about effective discrimintion, this nugget of workdplay pops up.

a touch of class

[Loz]

flocker spotter Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> "Libtard"

>

> c. Liberal retard

>

> How apt that in a thread about effective

> discrimintion, this nugget of workdplay pops up.

>

> a touch of class

And doubly stupid, since UG is following the erroneous American usage that confuses 'liberal' with 'left wing'. They are very different.

[rendelharris]

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/948785/Windrush-

> scandal-Theresa-May-Jeremy-Corbyn-news-Andrew-Neil

> -BBC-This-Week

>

> according to this Gordon Brown ordered the

> destruction of the Landing Passes in 2009, which

> for some people was the only proof they had as

> they had never acquired a passport or

> citizenship.

> Of course- NO-ONE is going to believe it-are they?

> especially on the libtardfest that is the EDF

Have you ever considered that other fora that might be more to your taste are available?

[IlonaM]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Would being an immigrant myself count as 'doing

> some research'? So, yes, I do know what amazing

> value immigrants bring to this country. :) And I

> also know that it would be damn near impossible

> for me to find four pieces of documentation for

> each of the years I have been here. And that's

> coming from a bit of a document magpie.

>

> But, over to you. With your experience, you'll be

> able to tell us what you think is a sensible

> immigration policy.

I have never suggested that the UK had 'sensible' or fair immigration policies. I think it would be extremely challenging for any of us, whether immigrant, asylum seeker, refugee, or British citizen born and bred to find documents proving residence from years/decades ago. The immigration system in this country has been in a mess for years, exacerbated by statements and attitudes expressed by politicians and Government ministers and amplified in the press. It has caused unnecessary stress and heartache to people from a great variety of countries and situations. A case in point in the paper today: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/24/canadian-woman-told-to-leave-uk-margaret-obrien

And another reported yesterday: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/25/arthur-snell-high-commissioner-baby-denied-uk-passport-2011

[Loz]

IlonaM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Loz Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> > But, over to you. With your experience, you'll be

> > able to tell us what you think is a sensible

> > immigration policy.

>

> I have never suggested that the UK had 'sensible'

> or fair immigration policies.

I never said you did. I merely asked you to tell describe what you thought the UK's immigration policy should be.