The government’s Hostile policy has caused controversy, after being shown that it disproportionately affects people who seek asylum.
The Hostile Environment policy, provided by the UK Home Office, is a set of administrative and legislative measures designed to make it as difficult as possible for people without ‘leave to remain’ in the UK to stay on their own accord.
What is the purpose of the hostile environment?
- To discourage people from coming to the UK
- To stop those who do come from overstaying
- To stop irregular migrants from being able to access the essentials of an ordinary life
These policies were devised by Theresa May back in 2012 she said: ‘’The aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration.”
The government attempts to cut undocumented migrants from using basic services such as the NHS, the police as well as making it illegal for them to work for a landlord or let them rent a property.
However, the effects of these policies are not limited to undocumented migrants as quoted by Liberty Human Rights ‘if you seem visibly foreign’, these policies create a mandate for racial discrimination.
Stuart Crosthwaite, 60, a group member of the South Yorkshire Migration Group said: ‘’The government has a very powerful voice in this country and they set a precedent if you see the government using that language then the majority will think it’s right.”
Mr Crosthwaite also believes that people who seek asylum in this country are treated with suspicion.
“They’re made to feel homeless, they’re made to live in such unbearable circumstances.’’
Mr Crosthwaite also believes that this environmental policy is also racially incentivised.
The migration action group is actively engaged with other organisations challenging to scrap the policy, the Liberty Human Rights Group said: ‘’We’re calling for the racist hostile environment to be scrapped and for government departments and public services to commit to a data firewall.”’
If this is in place it will prevent the home office from tracking down undocumented migrants.
Mr Crosthwaite said: ‘’In my opinion, let’s call it for what it is the environmental policy is all about whipping up racial hatred against black people, brown people and you see the consequences of that when you see these extreme groups turning up to hotels of where these migrants live and attack them. “