HIAS+JCORE has joined over 100 refugee organisations in signing an open letter to the Sir Keir Starmer, urging the UK government to take a braver, more compassionate approach to refugees.
The letter, coordinated by campaign group Together With Refugees (which HIAS+JCORE sits on the steering committee of), follows last week’s Organised Immigration Crime Summit (31 March – 1 April 2025) and HIAS+JCORE’s own statement on the summit’s discussions.
Urging an end to “hostile politics, racist rhetoric and demonising language of the past”, the letter states that “Now is not the time to play into the hands of those seeking to build them-and-us division between local communities and refugees.”
It also addresses the Government’s deterrence-focused approach, asserting: “Rather than the border security summit’s focus on expensive new ways to disrupt people smugglers, often making the journey more dangerous for refugees, the government should be looking at safe routes for refugees to get here without risking their lives.”
The letter then urges a fair new plan for refugees, outlining three key elements:
- Protection for people fleeing war and persecution by upholding the UK’s commitment under international law to the right to claim asylum.
- A proper strategy for welcoming refugees by ensuring fair, rapid decisions on their application for asylum, and the chance to rebuild their lives through settling in a community.
- Stronger global cooperation to tackle the root causes that force people to flee their homes and provides positive solutions when they do, including through safe routes to refugee protection.
Other signatories included City of Sanctuary UK, Refugee Action, Refugee Council and Safe Passage.
