NCADC Blog

New Immigration Bill - update from ILPA

Published by NCADC on December 16, 2013 | Leave a response

ILPA information sheet 12 December 2013 Download pdf at ILPA (Immigration Law Practitioners Association) On 10 October 2013 a new Immigration Bill was introduced into the House of Commons containing wide-ranging changes to the legal landscape in the area of immigration controls. The Government aims to have this Bill approved and passed into law in early 2014. ILPA has numerous concerns about the proposed changes. The Bill seeks to severely curtail rights of appeal, limit access to bail and increase immigration officers’ powers to use force. It will also negatively affect migrants’ and British nationals’ access to a range of Read the full article…

Upcoming events

Published by NCADC on November 18, 2013 | Leave a response

Fri 29 and Sat 30 November Campsfield Detention Centre 20 years too long! A weekend of events - demonstration, meetings, talks, theatre - to mark 20 years of resistance to arbitrary detention at Campsfield, the detention centre near Oxford. The main event is the demonstration at 12 noon on Saturday. There are buses going from London. See the Close Campsfield website for more details of all that is happening. Medical Justice Festive Awards Ceremony 12 December at 6:00pm Andover Estate Community Centre, Finsbury Park, London N7 7RY Screening of a 10 minute film by ex-detainees will be followed by ex-detainees Read the full article…

NCADC training: Liverpool

Published by NCADC on November 11, 2013 | Leave a response

Next up on our training tour of the UK is Liverpool! Throughout 2012 and 2013, NCADC has been visiting local groups already involved in campaigning, or wanting to find out more. We have been running workshops on understanding the asylum/immigration status and campaigning for the right to remain, in Huddersfield, Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, Glasgow, Belfast and coming up before the end of the year we’ll be travelling to Newcastle, Liverpool and Nottingham. In the new year, we’ll be making our way to Leicester. If you’ve missed us, don’t worry, we’ll be coming back! If you’re interested in NCADC coming to deliver Read the full article…

Demo in Kabul against deportations to Afghanistan

Published by NCADC on November 11, 2013 | Leave a response

A report from Saturday’s demo against deportations to Afghanistan, outside the Afghan Parliament in Kabul. From our friends at the Kabul blog, ‘Stop Deportations to Afghanistan’. On 9th November 2013 dozens of deportees and the families of those affected by deportations gathered in front of Afghan Parliament to demonstrate against deportations to Afghanistan. Afghanistan not safe Mr Ramazan Bashardost was the first person to come and talk to those who had gathered for demonstration. He then had an interview with the media. Mr Ramazan Bashardost while talking to the media held Afghan Government responsible for the lives of Afghan refugees Read the full article…

Immigration detention: a structure of abuse

Published by NCADC on November 11, 2013 | Leave a response

Three stories in the press over the weekend demonstrate the abusive nature of immigration detention, for all involved. In The New Statesman, BID trustee Katharine Sacks-Jones writes of the palpable desperation of detention: Recent reports of sexual abuse at Yarl’s Wood shine a small spotlight on the otherwise invisible world of immigration detention. They detail how guards preyed on isolated women, subjecting them to unwanted advances, using their positions of power to coerce them into sexual acts. Shocking yes. But sadly not much of a surprise to people who work with immigration detainees. As a trustee of a small charity, Read the full article…

“We are all under attack”: solidarity, the immigration bill and a Hostile Environment

Published by NCADC on November 11, 2013 | Leave a response

At a meeting organised by Legal Action for Women in London on Saturday, representatives from groups all across the UK came together to share how things are in their locality, and to plan what we can all to do fight the racist immigration bill, the devastating legal aid cuts, and against detention and deportation. Unsurprisingly, a pretty bleak picture was painted. Scarce legal representation, increased destitution, sexual and racist abuse in detention, dwindling resources. And yet, and yet. The energy in the room was fortifying: determined groups and individuals vowing that we wouldn’t give up, and that to succeed we Read the full article…

Stop the Immigration Bill: a “regime of harassment for migrants”

Published by NCADC on November 5, 2013 | 2 Responses

Have your say on the Immigration Bill >> On 22 October, the new Immigration Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons. At this stage of a new bill, MPs are given the opportunity to debate the general principles and, afterwards to oppose it if they wish. Cowardly response Of great concern was the Labour Party’s stance on the Bill: most Labour MPs abstained from voting on the Bill, which passed by a massive 303 votes to 18. Just six Labour MPs voted against the bill. They were Diane Abbot, Kelvin Hopkins, David Lammy, John McDonnell, Fiona Mactaggart Read the full article…

Women on the Move Awards: nominate your candidate before 30 November

Published by NCADC on October 31, 2013 | Leave a response

The Women on the Move Awards (formerly the Migrant and Refugee Woman of the Year Award) celebrates and supports the contribution that migrant and refugee women, the media and their champions can make towards facing down prejudice and inspiring others. The Women on the Move Awards, now in their third year, will be delivered by The Forum, Migrants Rights Network (MRN) and for the first time, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The new name and categories mark the growth of the Awards’ new partnership and reflects the vitality and courage of the women we champion. Migrants and refugees Read the full article…

Young Afghans: audience response to Mazloom play in Leicester

Published by NCADC on October 31, 2013 | Leave a response

Post from After 18. In summer 2013 After18 hosted a theatre production of Mazloom on the Leicester leg of a national tour. Mazloom is a portrait of Asef, a young Afghan who in the claustrophobic environment of his London flat recalls the dangerous journey he made to the UK alone and his fears for his impending deportation back to Afghanistan. This closely reflects the life of many of After18′s young people, some of whom were in the audience. So, what did they make of the play and their first experience of live theatre? It was interesting, I was thinking Read the full article…

Injustices and abuse of migrants in the UK’s asylum and immigration system

Published by NCADC on October 22, 2013 | Leave a response

Lisa Matthews (campaigns coordinator, NCADC) explains to Amina Taylor, Press TV journalist, the many abuses and injustices of enforcement in the UK’s asylum and immigration system. Ranging from a broken asylum system, the securitisation of the asylum system, cuts to legal aid, and imprisoning migrants there is a lot to cover in this short report. In the programme, refugee Ivo Kuka (friend of NCADC), talks about his experience of the detained fast-track system and the constant presence of the threat of forced removal. Watch the report here.