Immigration Bill

Written evidence from Undine Schmidt (IB 19)

As a concerned member of this society and greatly interested in the achievement of the highest possible standard of human rights in the UK, I feel strongly urged to communicate my disapproval to the proposed new Immigration Bill. The Bill restricts access to appeal and so limits independent scrutiny if immigration decisions and the availability of redress for people who have been wrongly refused status.

The bill is a denial of basic services to some of the most vulnerable people within the UK. They run a high risk of widespread discrimination, exploitation and racism - widespread human rights abuses! The UK should take a legal position in protecting human rights and those victims to abusive regimes - and not concentrate all its efforts to become "the least attractive destination for illegal immigrants" and thereby entrenching the human rights spelled out in the EU Human Rights Convention and the Principles laid out by the UNHCR.

Also, it is legally impossible to be "illegal" - this word is a human rights abuse in itself by denying someone's right to exist with legitimization. This rhetoric, as employed by the UK government and furthered by the proposed Immigration Bill, increases hostility - it increases racist violence and traumata on the side of some of the most vulnerable people. 

I strongly urge you to consider the recommendations of people and organizations strongly concerned about human rights - the human rights of all people, including those seeking human rights in the UK.

November 2013