OUR STATEMENT ON THE RWANDA BILL

We are deeply disappointed in the news this morning that the Rwanda Bill has been passed, displaying a blatant disregard for international law and the Supreme Court.

Responding to this decision, our CEO Susie Ventris-Field said "policy decisions of this kind cause very real, immediate and unnecessary stress for people seeking sanctuary and the people we work with at Oasis. Offshoring people seeking sanctuary isn’t a deterrent – people seek asylum in the UK for many reasons. It is perceived as a safe, law-abiding place and people may have family connections or speak English. The offshoring policy is expensive and doesn’t resolve any of the root causes of people needing to find sanctuary.

If we want to prevent the kinds of tragedy we saw this morning with five people drowning in the Channel, we need safe routes for people to seek asylum, not punitive measures against people who are simply seeking safety.

If the money spent on Rwanda was instead spent on humanely processing claims for asylum, we would be in a much better place. We call on politicians of all parties to consider the impact of these policies and instead pursue a more compassionate and nuanced response."