In our, last update, we noted that we have been working to bring people fighting deportation, and others, together. We are getting more and more people wanting to campaign, and if everyone is not going to get overcome, then we need a different tack.

So, we helped bring together established individual campaigns, and campaigns we were helping set up, and formed the Hackney Anti-Deportation Group. We have many French speaking African people fighting deportation, so we helped establish a French speaking group,and we are working on an Eastern European Group.

Work these groups do includes mutual support, finding good solicitors, supplying solicitors with updated information on particular countries re asylum claims, support for those in detention, and general work in our area raising ..immigration with people who think it is not an issue affecting them.

We are aware that if we are not going to have this problem forever, we must build wider support for immigrants, so the major political parties cannot continue to pedal their racist rubbish.

This latter work, coupled with the recent benefit cuts, has led us to bring together about a dozen organisations to set up a Resource Centre, for Asylum Seekers and Migrants. A building has been identified, a committee set up and fund raising is underway. This continues work we have been doing providing humanitarian support particularly to new arrivals who do not have established communities here, along with work with existing established communities. For example, we have quite a vibrant Turkish and Kurdish community and several of their organisations have helped set up this Centre. The Centre will provide a base for doing other campaigning work.

Our strategy is to continue building resistance within communities. We try not to do work for people, but with them. so where there are not established communities, as with French speaking Africans or Eastern Europeans, we help them set up organisations. We will work with them to develop strategies to overcome benefit Cuts (so we will not try to be an alternative benefits agency; on the other hand we intend to assure that no one has to leave this country because of lack of money). A lot of effort is going into developing practical support for those losing benefits. This will be a primary use of the Centre. Groups of musicians have set up a monthly fund raising event, and other people are coming forward to give support.

We are also setting up work on housing estates. We have been to our first tenants association to discuss working with them. We will help set up monthly support sessions, on immigration, policing and trade union issues. This does two things. First, it means we work with tenants for whom immigration is not a particular issue--but it is made clear to them that immigration problems are part of general attack on working class people. Secondly, in our area particularly, it is clear that benefit cuts are one strategy to force people into low paid sweat shop jobs; so organising in, such workplaces becomes important. Where there is a history of action-(strikes, occupations) the immigration officials race the police to be the first on the scene. When it is a factory staffed by black workers. Immigration already knows who is working in the factory--and target anyone with immigration problems.

A pamphlet arguing for the free movement of migrants around the world, and for No Immigration Controls, is being written.

Coupled with some victories against deportation, work is going well.