137 groups—including frontline advice organisations, charities, law centres, and grassroots community groups based in Scotland, Wales and every region of England—are calling on Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to immediately suspend immigration reporting conditions due to risks posed by far-right activity targeting migrants and refugees.
Read the letter below and share on social media: (IG) (X).
Dear Home Secretary,
Urgent: Immediate Suspension of Immigration Bail Reporting Conditions
We request that you immediately suspend all immigration bail reporting conditions.
We are groups located across the UK, led by and providing support to migrants subject to immigration bail reporting conditions. We are gravely concerned about high risks to the safety and welfare of migrants and the wider public as a result of continuing in-person immigration reporting during the ongoing escalation of nationwide far-right violence targeting migrant and racialised communities.
In line with the Government’s duty of care for the health and safety of reporting persons, all immigration bail reporting conditions should be immediately suspended. Similarly, appropriate security measures should be taken to safeguard those who have scheduled biometrics appointments at reporting centres. People should receive clear and accurate notification of any rescheduling of necessary appointments.
Individuals subject to immigration bail reporting conditions must attend Home Office reporting centres at set dates and times. Many have to travel long distances to and from reporting appointments, often via transit routes requiring long wait times in isolated places, and may do so alone, increasing their vulnerability.
During the present escalation of far-right violence against migrants, racialised people and Muslims—which has included the targeting of specific locations such as immigration reporting centres, asylum accommodation hotels, and legal firms and community organisations working with migrants—a continuation of immigration bail reporting conditions constitutes a serious risk of both mental and physical harm.
In ordinary circumstances, immigration bail reporting conditions are physically exhausting or painful for individuals with physical disabilities and distressing, particularly for those with mental health conditions. Many people reporting are asylum seekers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and/or other serious mental health conditions. Requiring them to continue to report during a period of heightened risk of violence, fear and intimidation is already having a grave impact on people’s mental health. The harmful impact of reporting for immigration bail on vulnerable groups is set out in the report by Migrants Organise, which is enclosed with this letter. This impact is exacerbated during the present state of heightened risk.
There is no justification for requiring immigration bail reporting conditions to continue in light of the present risks of violence and harm to persons reporting.
Available data indicates that the rate of absconding has consistently been in the single digits, below 5%. The current Home Office policy is also clear that telephone reporting should be the main form of reporting. Any public interest in managing the risk of individuals absconding is thus far outweighed by the serious risks to safety, health and wellbeing that individuals will be exposed to. Such a decision therefore would be irrational, and likely to be in breach of government’s duties under Article 2 (right to life), Article 3 (right against inhuman and degrading treatment) and Article 8 (right to private life) of the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as duties under Equality Act 2010.
Please confirm that you will be immediately suspending immigration bail reporting conditions by no later than 4pm Tuesday 13 August 2024. Please provide confirmation by email.
Yours sincerely,
- Abolish Reporting Liverpool
- Abolish Reporting London
- Abolish Reporting Manchester
- Abolish Reporting Sheffield
- ACH
- Action for Refugees in Lewisham
- After Exploitation
- All African Women’s Group
- Anti Raids Sheffield
- Asha North Staffordshire
- Asylum Aid
- Asylum Link Merseyside
- Asylum Matters
- Asylum Welcome
- Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU)
- Bail for Immigration Detainees
- Better Bilingual
- Bhatt Murphy
- Birch Network
- Bradford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Survivors Service
- Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers Campaign
- Bristol Hospitality Network
- Bristol Law Centre
- Bristol Refugee Rights
- Bristol Reporting Solidarity
- Campaign Against Anti-Muslim Hate
- Care 4 Calais
- Care4Calais Sheffield
- Causeway (UK)
- Citizens Advice Sheffield
- Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent
- City of Sanctuary Sheffield
- Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK
- Cornwall Refugee Resource Network
- Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group (CARAG)
- Cyfoeth Y Coed
- Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support
- Educational Learning Support Hub
- ENTRAIDE
- Evesham Vale Welcomes Refugees
- Friends of the Drop In for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (FODI)
- Fresh Grassroots Rainbow Community
- George Rosenberg Law Ltd
- Global Women Against Deportations
- Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS)
- Govan Community Project
- Gower College Swansea
- Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)
- Haringey Migrant Support Centre
- Haringey Welcome
- Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees
- Helen Bamber Foundation
- Hope Projects
- Humans of Wolverhampton
- Humber All Nations Alliance (HANA)
- Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation
- Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants
- Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)
- Jesuit Refugee Service UK
- Journey LGBT+ Asylum Group
- Jubilee for Climate
- Julian House
- Kashmir International
- Latin American House
- Law Centres Network
- Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN)
- Liverpool Law Clinic
- Medact Migrant Solidarity Group
- Medact Sheffield
- Merseyside Solidarity Knows No Borders
- Middlesbrough Reporting Support Group
- Migrants Organise
- National AIDS Trust
- New Citizen’s Gateway
- No to Hassockfield Campaign
- North Derbyshire Refugee Support Group
- Oasis Church
- Out in Cov
- POMOC Direct Services
- Portsmouth City of Sanctuary (PCoS)
- Public Interest Law Centre
- Rainbow Haven
- Rainbow Migration
- RAPAR
- RAS Voice Manchester
- Refugee Action
- Refugee Action Kingston
- Refugee Council
- Refugee Legal Support
- Refugee Women of Bristol
- Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Migrant Action
- RefYouMe
- Resistance Kitchen
- Restore, a project of Birmingham Churches Together
- Revoke CIC
- Right to Remain
- Room to Heal
- Samphire – Post-Detention Support Project
- Sante Refugee Mental Health Access Project
- Savana
- Seraphus
- Sheffield Radical Mutual Aid
- Six Ways Erdington Baptist Church
- Solidarity Knows No Borders Yorkshire
- South London Refugee Association (SLRA)
- South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG)
- Southeast and East Asian Women’s Association (SEEAWA)
- Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers
- St Augustine’s Centre, Halifax
- St Chad’s Sanctuary
- Stafford Welcomes Refugees
- Staffordshire North & Stoke-on-Trent Citizens Advice
- Stand and Be Counted Theatre
- Stand Up to Racism
- Stand Up to Racism Calderdale
- Stand Up to Racism Greater Manchester
- Stand Up to Racism Sheffield
- Stories of Hope and Home
- Student Action for Refugees
- Swansea City of Sanctuary – Reporting Support Swansea
- These Walls Must Fall
- Unison Manchester
- University Hospitals Birmingham
- University of London Refugee Law Clinic
- Vauxhall Law Centre
- Voice of Voiceless Immigration Detainees Yorkshire (VVIDY)
- Voices in Exile
- Waltham Forest Migrant Action (WFMA)
- We Got to Move
- Welsh Refugee Council
- Wilson Solicitors LLP
- Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary
- Women Against Rape
- Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST) Manchester
- Women for Refugee Women
- Women of Colour/Global Women Strike
- WTB Solicitors LLP
