A Birmingham Criminologist is leading calls for the government to urgently reconsider a controversial migration policy to avert the tragic loss of life to those seeking refuge in the UK.
Dr Mohammed Rahman, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University, has launched a petition calling upon Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel to scrap the ‘discriminatory’ Borders and Nationality Bill which is currently in the House of Lords. Marking International Migrants Day the petition challenged the government’s Bill which has come under recent scrutiny for criminalising those arriving in the UK without permission, with sentences of up to four years.
The petition, coordinated by Dr Rahman and other descendants of migrants, lays out several demands, calling for the scrapping of the Bill, raising awareness of legal options available for migrants and a more proportionate approach to border controls and acknowledgement. It also challenges the government to acknowledge that the Bill disproportionately impacts the UK’s Black and Minority Ethnic communities through proposals to strip UK citizenship without notice from these British nationals.
Dr Mohammed Rahman, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University, said: “There are so many issues surrounding the new Nationality and Borders Bill. Ministers have argued that the new measures will protect vulnerable people, but in fact, it does the very opposite and undermines the 1951 Refugee Convention. Recently the UK has had a spike in citizenship deprivations.
These have mostly taken place when the British citizen is overseas, therefore they would be unlikely to know about cancellation orders and would find it difficult to appeal. The Bill is not only discriminatory but also divisive and dangerous.”
The Bill would allow UK officials to send those seeking sanctuary in the UK to a ‘safe third country’ and includes proposals for offshore processing centres to replace asylum claims being considered in the UK. Founders of the petition are calling for people across the country to back their calls and signal their support by signing the petition which can be found on Change.org, by searching “Scrap the new Borders and Nationality Bill and protect human life to avoid tragic deaths”.
