Refugees have made a massive cultural, social, and economic contribution to life in the UK. Until the 1880s, the predominant attitude in British politics was one of ‘liberal tolerance’ towards foreigners, including refugees fleeing political persecution. However, UK immigration policy was not always this welcoming. We haven’t forgotten Theresa May’s hostile attitude toward Caribbean immigration during her time as home secretary.
We all know about the Rwanda Scheme that was originally signed by the former Home Secretary, Priti Patel. Asylum seekers who came to the UK via irregular routes decided to be removed to Rwanda. It does not matter how much ‘disappointment’ it brought to Ms. Patel and her then fellow cabinet colleagues; the European Court of Human Rights thought that it was not fair and ruled against the deportation of the first flights to Rwanda already.
On 15 November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the strategy was not lawful since Rwanda was not a safe country to which asylum applicants might be removed to. Needless to mention, Rwanda itself is an issue-prone country full of internal issues of its own. Sadly enough, on 25 April 2024, the UK approved its treaty with Rwanda, and the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 went into effect. Based on this, the Prime Minister is expecting to send the first flights to Rwanda sometime in July 2024. Many human rights organisations, and others working for immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, Migrant Voice as such, believe that this Rwanda Scheme is hostile. In an interview with the Guardian, Nazek Ramadan, the director of Migrant Voice, said, “Detaining people who are reporting to the Home Office is liable to just make people more fearful about turning up.”
Refugees were defined by the League of Nations in 1926 as ‘individuals with a national origin who no longer enjoy the protection of that national government and have not yet acquired another nationality’. While many people might think of the phenomenon as a modern one, a group of refugees have been seeking safety here since the sixteenth century. (From Migration Records: A guide for family historians by Roger Kershaw.)
The way I see the difference between an immigrant and a refugee is that immigrants become immigrants by choice. Refugees have no option to choose; they just become “refugees”. It has an agony behind it, and in some cases, they might have some bloodshed too. I also had an uneducated question: why should a developed country accept refugees even when they have their own issues? But now I have the answer: The 1951 Refugee Convention.
Now I know that refugees have lost everything, apart from their lives.
They seek refuge or asylum in a safer country just because they can instantly think of it. Being hostile to them will only bring more pain to their lives. Now my empathetic, and educated question is: being a modern person, with better knowledge and understanding of society than decades before, how could a sensible person be hostile to them?
Immigrants have enriched this country for centuries, ranging from Flemish weavers to Jewish bankers back in the 13th century and beyond. We cannot be that unkind to forget the achievements of immigrants in the fields of science, arts, sports, and others, which ornamented this country with pride. We need to admit that refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants’ contributions to the country make it a beautiful and great land.
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Founded in 1998 and held every year around World Refugee Day on June 20, Refugee Week is also a growing global movement. This year’s theme is ‘Our Home’.
There are some useful sources on the topic I wanted to share with you
Sources of other events:
https://refugeeweek.org.uk/events/
Sources of other relevant information:
Enthusiastic readers might be interested in reading these titles:
Migration Records: A guide for family historians, by Roger Kershaw
Diversity Consciousness: Opening our minds to people, culture, and opportunities, by Richard D Bucher
Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain, by Robert Winder
Rwanda: From Genocide to Precarious Peace, by Susan Thomson
Refugee Stories, by Dave Smith
Boarders – A Very Short Introduction, by A C Dienner and J Hagen (Oxford University Press)
International Migration – A Very Short Introduction, by Khalid Koser (Oxford University Press)
The writer has done an excellent job of focusing on the issues faced by migrants and their long-standing struggles in the UK. I greatly appreciate the attention given to this topic, as it resonates deeply with people like me who have experienced these challenges firsthand. I hope the writer continues to share their thoughts and insights on the experiences of immigrants, as it is a crucial conversation that needs to be sustained.
Wonderful write up.
An excellent piece. In the US, as elsewhere, refugees have been vilified and used as political footballs to instill fear.
When we now see the huge numbers of people worldwide fleeing oppression, war and endemic violence in their own countries, there has to be more than the quest for personal economic gain driving their departure.
I hope and pray for enlightened policies worldwide to ease the situations that force most to leave their homelands and until then, that we accept them with some level of support.
It’s a very informative write up of yours. It reminded of the poem “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka where he had to face hostility due to his African Roots by his landlord.
Good job Morshed. Thank you very much.
This is well written and has hilighted to struggles Asylum Seekers and Migrants face on a daily basis.
Well done partner, so proud of you.
Thanks for writing in this matter.
Well written and informative. I know its often a political thing, but looking at why and what countries are responsible for them to become refugees in the first place is another point to look out as well. And taking a bit of responsibility for it…
How beautifully you wrote about immigrants refugees and refugees. I came to know from your writing that you are working as a citizen journalist and community ambassador in UK.
I am proud of you brother. Immigrants are doing very well in the UK. You are one of them. You continue your writing.
My prayers are for you.