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Bishop Kenney raises questions re UK Immigration plans.

May 12, 2021

Bishop William Kenney CP, a member of the Santa Marta Group, has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel with a strong message about the UK Government’s New Plan for Immigration.

Whilst welcoming the government’s commitment to ensuring that police and courts have the necessary powers to bring perpetrators of modern slavery to justice, while giving victims the support they need to rebuild their lives, Bishop Kenney expresses serious reservations over elements of the new immigration plan.

“The policy statement makes extensive reference to abuse of protection mechanisms, placing disproportionate emphasis on a very small number of cases and proposing more restrictive criteria for support, while overlooking the genuine failings in the UK’s response to trafficking and modern slavery. The reality is that a significant proportion of victims are never identified, most of those who are do not receive adequate support, and prosecutions of criminals responsible for exploitation are extremely rare.”

Bishop Kenney strongly encourages the government to modify its approach to prioritise three key elements:

  • An effective National Referral Mechanism that efficiently identifies and supports victims.
  • Consistent recognition that modern slavery is not an immigration offence.
  • Focus on pursuing perpetrators, not criminalising victims.

“The introduction of new barriers to entering and seeking asylum in the UK risks pushing more people into the hands of traffickers. Across the world it has been consistently demonstrated that policies criminalising those seeking sanctuary and introducing new border security measures do not save lives but are simply a charter for trafficking.”

You can read more here. Discover what our Diocese is doing to combat modern slavery here.


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