NCADC Campaigning Toolkit
Going public may be risky. Would a public campaign put you or members of your family at increased risk in your country of origin? It is difficult to know for certain when this is the case. As emergency travel documents will have to be issued (through the embassy of your home country) in preparation for deportation going ahead, the authorities may already know about your scheduled return.
In many countries, immigration officials and security forces are not well connected, so the officials who know about your return may not be the ones you are at risk from. But they might be.
A public campaign may raise awareness of your situation in your home country. As there is no guarantee that a public campaign will stop a deportation, you need to think very carefully about whether it is safe to have a public campaign or not. Sometimes people decide it is not exactly safe, but that the risk is worth taking.
Would a public campaign put you at risk if the campaign is successful?
Information may come out through a public campaign (for example, about your history, your relationships or your sexuality) that you don’t want your local community to know. If you manage to stop a deportation, you need to remember that you will probably be living among that community.
Would a public campaign endanger family members?
(either in the UK or the country of origin) See above. You can make sure that no family members’ names or photographs, or identifying information, are used in a campaign.
Are there children involved?
Thinking about whether a campaign is appropriate is especially important when children are involved. Children can be an important part of a campaign, and their schools can be a great source of support for campaigns. Does the child want the school to know about their family background? Does your child know that your immigration status is uncertain, or the reasons why you had to leave your country? There might be information you’ve never told them before. Think carefully before using photographs of children in campaign material. You may not wish to use your child’s name or other identifying information (such as the school they attend) in campaign material.
Will a public campaign encourage the Home Office to target you for deportation?
While there are campaigners who believe this has happened, another outcome could be that the noise your campaign is generating will put pressure on Home Office, and that they make a positive decision so that the noise goes away!
Will a public campaign affect your legal case?
Many legal advisors are wary about public campaigns against deportation, but others can be supportive. It depends on the situation as well as the lawyer. There may be situations when a public campaign is not a good idea: maybe you do not want to draw attention to your case, as it will benefit you if the Home Office delay in making a decision.
Always ask your legal advisor what they think – but remember, the choice is ultimately yours. Remember that a public campaign can have a positive impact on your case; a public campaign may encourage your MP to get involved, and the MP can speak directly to the Home Office and raise questions about your case or the issues at stake in civic forums.
Does the person at risk of deportation understand the risks of public campaigning?
If you are not confident they do (they may be under too much emotional pressure, or there may be mental health issues impeding capacity to understand the risks), think about whether non-public campaigning would be more appropriate (see ‘Political Campaigning’, ‘Understanding your Legal Case’, ‘Emotional Support’).
