CAP welcomes call for end to asylum seeker destitution

Church Action on Poverty has welcomed a new report that calls for an end to the enforced destitution of asylum seekers.

The ‘Asylum Matters: Restoring Trust in the UK Asylum System’ report was published on Monday by the Centre for Social Justice, the think tank of the former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith.

The report argues that denying asylum seekers the right to claim benefits or work has not prompted them to return home as intended but has instead left thousands destitute and relying on charities and the Red Cross for food and shelter. Others, CAP said, have turned to the black economy or prostitution to survive.

The CSJ report goes on to advocate greater promotion of voluntary return as an alternative to expensive and distressing forced removals.

The report has also been welcomed by Refugee Action. The group’s chief executive, Sandy Buchan said, “This report highlights the terrible plight of asylum seekers, who are forced into homelessness at a time when they need to be supported to plan for the future.

“We see people every day who are living in desperate circumstances and are extremely traumatised.

“We welcome measures such as the temporary right to work for people who cannot return home and end-to-end support for asylum seekers to help them make informed decisions on their future.”

The report recommends that the UK Border Agency should be limited to enforcement of immigration laws, and that a new independent body consisting of three magistrates should be set up to adjudicate on decisions.

It encourages charities and voluntary groups to support asylum seekers while their cases are prepared and heard, and to continue providing support as refugees are either integrated into society or helped to return voluntarily.

Niall Cooper, Coordinator of Church Action on Poverty, said: “It is inhuman and counterproductive for the government to make failed asylum seekers homeless and destitute.

“We welcome the proposal that refused asylum seekers who cannot return home should be given a temporary license to enable them to work and to access health care.”