Migration news roundup 15 July 2024

• Stories that inspired us this week
• International news
• UK borders and migration policy
• Specific migrant groups
• Cohesion and integration

Stories that inspired us this week

In football, with England reaching the final of the Euros, the Migration Museum has again produced a powerful visual of what the England football team would look like without players from migrant backgrounds, highlighting that without migration there would only have been 3 players. (Sources: The Drum, X)

A social enterprise (ACH) has collaborated with students at the University of the West of England to launch a five-part podcast, ‘Wisdom from the Global Majority’, in which migrants and refugees tell their stories. One of the episodes focuses on a Ukrainian refugee who was able to create a children’s clothing line in the UK. (Sources: University of West of England, BBC)

Doncaster teaching hospital has held an event to celebrate the contributions of overseas workers, with speakers, presentations and activities including a Filipino dance.  Zoe Lintin, Chief People Officer stated, ‘I want to thank those individuals who have decided to call Doncaster and Bassetlaw home, and support NHS services.’ (Source: Doncaster Free Press)

International news

Pakistan is to extend the registration cards of 1.5 million Afghan refugees for one year following discussions between the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Filippo Grandi, the chief of the UNHCR who called for a halt to deportations. (Source: Al Jazeera)

On precarious journeys, the number of migrants arriving by boat to the Canary Islands increased by over 160% during the first 6 months of 2024 compared with the previous year, leading to local anti-migration protests. During the same period over 5,000 people died trying to reach Spain by sea. (Source: the Guardian)

UK borders and migration policy

On national policy, the general election has understandably dominated the news in the past week. A summary of the election results was posted on the House of Commons library. Ministerial appointments to the Home Office can be found here and it’s worth noting that three of the appointments, including the new Home Secretary, are from our region. (Source: Gov.uk)

Also related to the change of government, a report has been published on the impact Brexit has had on immigration policy, and this article makes suggestions on migration and asylum for the first 100 days of the new government. (Sources: Political Quarterly, IPPR)

Specific migrant groups

On small boats, on Friday morning we learned that four more people have drowned tragically trying to cross the channel to reach safety in the UK.  Meanwhile, the government has launched the promised new Border Security Command, whilst the Daily Mail has highlighted how the lack of lifejackets available to people attempting to cross the channel leads to the journey being even more precarious. (Sources: the Guardian, Gov.uk, Daily Mail)

Over 300 organisations have written to the new Prime Minister setting out a proposed blueprint for an overhaul of the asylum system. It’s worth a read to understand the depth of feeling within the voluntary and community sector. (Source: the Guardian)

The Chief Inspector of Prisons has stated conditions at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre are the worst in the country, decrepit, shocking and dangerous. Along the same vein, this deep dive into the founder of Clearsprings (one of the asylum accommodation providers) exposes a multi-million pound profit making scheme on the back of Britain’s broken immigration system. (Sources: BBC, Prospect Magazine)

On Rwanda, the new government announced on day one that the Rwanda scheme will no longer be going ahead. The UK may be hoping to recoup funds from Rwanda for the abolished scheme. Meanwhile, this article highlights the impact the proposed scheme has had on individuals who seek asylum, including a man who lives in Hull. (Sources: BBC, the Guardian)

On modern day slavery, a new report recommends ways to improve public understanding of the issue, informed by consultation with people with lived experience. Researchers have found dominant narratives about migration tended to reduce sympathy towards survivors, and there is a lack of awareness that people born in the UK can also be affected. Also on modern slavery, data reveals that very few survivors apply for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority – only 133 cases since 2021 (Sources: Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre, After Exploitation) 

On migrant workers, new research findings have been published by Gabriella Alberti and colleagues at the University of Leeds, on employers’ post-Brexit workforces and their use of migrant workers. (Source: University of Leeds Business School)

On children and young people:

• United Nations special rapporteurs warned that the UK government is at risk of breaching international law due to wrongly classifying unaccompanied asylum-seeking children as adults.
• The Children’s Commissioner for England has raised concerns over the treatment of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and families at the Manston Home Office holding facility.
• ECPAT UK has published their key priorities for the new UK government to combat child trafficking. One key priority is to align immigration functions with child protection. (Sources: Independent, the Guardian, ECPAT UK)

On international students, new figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show that net migration in Scotland rose to the highest level in 2022, nearly doubled compared with the previous year. The increase is attributed to the higher numbers of international students who moved to major Scottish cities for studies during that period. (Source: BBC)

Cohesion and integration

A New Scots Integration Strategy Delivery Plan for 2024-6 has been developed in order to support refugees and help them to ‘rebuild their lives in Scotland’. The plan builds on the New Scots Integration Strategy launched in March 2024 and was made with insight from people with refugee experience in Scotland, as well as professionals who are experienced in supporting them. (Source: Scottish Government)

A project has been set up in Somerset, which allows female refugees to learn to play cricket. Somerset Cricket Foundation and the charity Diversity Voice have come together to teach the refugees, utilising funding from the Warm Spaces initiative and hoping to ‘bring people together through sport’. (Source: BBC)