Faith leaders have given their support to the Archbishop of Canterbury's amendment to the Illegal Migration Bill.
The amendment tabled by Archbishop Justin Welby calls on the government to come up with a 10-year strategy on refugees and human trafficking.
It has the support of the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Durham, and faith leaders who have written a joint letter with Welby, published today in The Times, which criticises the current draft of the Bill.
"The Illegal Migration Bill falls short of our obligation towards the most vulnerable. It fails to meet the basic test of an evidence-based and workable policy. We need an alternative approach that reflects our country's history, values and responsibility," they write.
They add: "The UK should take a lead in setting out a just, compassionate approach, ensuring that people seeking sanctuary are protected, claims decided quickly and justly, human traffickers are punished, and the root causes of mass migration are properly addressed."
The Illegal Migration Bill and amendments will be debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday evening.
If the Archbishop's amendment is passed, it will then be debated and voted on in the House of Commons.
He said, "As faith leaders we hold different beliefs on many things, but we are united in our concern for people seeking sanctuary.
"Britain must have an asylum system based on justice and compassion. We are standing together to call on the Government to honour our obligations to the world's most vulnerable people – and play our part in tackling a global crisis that is only set to worsen in the coming years, as millions more people around the world are forced to flee their homes.
"The amendment I have tabled to the Illegal Migration Bill is intended to focus our efforts on that goal."
Other signatories of the letter are Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army, Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, CEOs of Progressive Judaism, Trupti Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Lord Singh of Wimbledon, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK, Imam Qari Asim, Senior Imam of Makkah Mosque in Leeds, and Imam Dr Sayed Razawi, Chief Imam of Scotland.
