IRR: Border wars and asylum crimes Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 16:15:11 +0100 WEBWATCH HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has published a: 'Report on an announced inspection of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre - 30 October - 3 November 2006'. Download the report at: http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspect_reports/irc-inspections.html/Campsfield_House.pdf?view=Binary (pdf file, 1MB) Liberty has published a report: 'Setting the Record Straight - The Dangers of "Off the Record" Briefings to the Media During Police Counter-Terrorist Operations'. Download the report at: http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/pdfs/liberty-setting-the-record-straight-paper-may07.pdf (pdf file, 152 kb) The Coalition Against Deportations to Iraq has published its: Echoes Newsletter - no.5. Download the newsletter at: http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/Echoes_Newsletter _no_5.pdf (pdf file 504kb) The Refugee Council has launched its newly revised 'Support pack' that provides help and tips on dealing with situations arising from the asylum process. View the 'Support pack' at: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/practice/asylum/supportpack/ The Refugee Council has published two refugee community newsletters: 'RCO News' and 'RCO Women's News'. Download the newsletters at: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/howwehelp/support/communities/community/newsletters.htm The Refugee Council has published a briefing paper on ESOL -'English for Speakers of Other Languages' and Further Education Funding Changes 2007/08 announced by the Learning and Skills Council: 'ESOL funding - update', Download the briefing at: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9862B19C-5CEA-4E24-BCF1-623FC49E3EC7/0/ESOLbriefing.pdf (pdf file, 120kb) NEW WEBSITES 4WardEver (in conjunction with the Mikey Powell Campaign) has launched a new website for families and friends affected by deaths in custody, and other injustices. View the website at: http://www.find-a-campaign.org.uk/ Education Action International has launched a website with education advice for refugees and asylum seekers. View the website at: http://www.education-action.org/default.asp?pageref=203 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT DISCLOSURES The Home Office has released information in response to a request made by Liberty on media briefings on anti-terrorist operations carried out in January/February 2007. Download the information at: http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/pdfs/foi-resp-home-office-may072.pdf (pdf file, 896kb). Under the Freedom of Information Act the Home Office has released information on: Operation Safeguard, the overcrowding of HM Prisons and the use of police cells as an alternative means of custody. View the information at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/freedom-of-information/released-information/foi-archive-offender-management/5688-Operation-Safeguard Under the Freedom of Information Act the Home Office has released information on: 'Claims for compensation by inmates at HMP Winson Green in 2006'. View the information at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/freedom-of-information/released-information/foi-archive-offender-management/5195-compensation-inmates-HMP r e v i e w u n i t e d k i n g d o m - - > >> Border wars and asylum crimes > By Kevin Smith 10 May 2007, 3:00pm When Statewatch published the pamphlet Crimes of arrival in 1995, the 'crimes' were a metaphorical reference to the way in which the government viewed the arrival on British soil of migrants and asylum seekers. Over a decade later, a recent publication by the same author documents how the metaphor has become a literal truth. 'Border wars and asylum crimes' by Frances Webber, a leading immigration barrister, examines the different methods that have been introduced by the state to criminalise asylum seekers and keep 'the displaced, the desperate and the destitute away from the shores of Europe'. The various means of criminalisation outlined in the publication include: * Pushing the UK border controls back into France and Belgium so that migrants can be detained and removed before they even arrive in the country; * Increasing the penalties for the carriers of undocumented migrants; * Prosecuting asylum seekers using false documents to enter the country; * Shifting the burden of proof on to asylum seekers and curtailing their legal rights; * Stigmatising asylum seekers by making them accept humiliating and degrading conditions as a prerequisite to obtaining basic subsistence; * Penalising those who have acted in solidarity by providing shelter or support to irregular migrants. Border wars and asylum crimes also examines the 'frightening continuity between the treatment of asylum claimants and that of terrorist suspects.' Webber argues that the broadened definition of 'terrorism', including those suspected of support for anti-western positions or for liberation struggles not supported in the West, has meant that more groups and individuals have been politically targeted by anti-asylum measures. ---- FOOTNOTE The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors. IRR is not responsible for the content of external websites. Inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Please contact us (/contact/index.html) if you come across a broken link. > RELATED LINKS Border wars and asylum crimes is available from Statewatch (http://www.statewatch.org/swpubs.html) for £10. IRR is not responsible for the content of external websites. Inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. 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