By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
LONDON, United Kingdom – The Home Office, which is responsible for immigration, has been accused of racism and profiling in recent operations used to combat illegal immigration, including checkpoints that led to the arrest of 139 suspected offenders. British officials are divided on whether the operations were discriminatory.
During the week of 29 July 2013, vans in London sported posters telling illegal immigrants to “go home or face arrest”, with a number to text for “free advice, and help with travel documents.” While the Unite union sought legal advice on whether the vans “incited racial hatred”, the Home Office denied that the message was racist and refused to apologize for enforcing the law.
At that time, reports surfaced that the Home Office would force nationals of India, Nigeria, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh to pay £3000 before receiving a visitor visa. India demanded confirmation and an explanation, stating that acceptance of the bond would hurt British-Indian relations. Business Secretary Vince Cable assured his counterpart in India that no such policy came before the British Cabinet, and the UK would not consider it.
On 31 July 2013, the official Twitter profile @ukhomeoffice posted pixilated photos of possible #immigrationoffenders being led away from checkpoints by officers. At least three immigrants were Brazilian, Indian, and Ukrainian. Witnesses filled Twitter with protests against operations they claim “targeted ethnic minorities and non-white people.” Others equated the arrests to The Hunger Games, a book and film series about gladiator-style fights on dystopian Earth.
Immigration Minister Mark Harper rejected allegations of racial profiling, and stated that officers were required to have reasonable suspicion that an offense had been committed. Harper said: “We are sending a clear message to employers who choose to use illegal labour. We will find you and you will pay a heavy penalty. Illegal working undercuts legitimate businesses and is often linked to exploitative behaviour such as tax evasion and harmful working conditions.”
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) plans to look into the Home Office’s operations. In a letter to the Home Office, the EHRC will “ask questions about the extent to which the Home Office complied with its public sector equality duty when planning the recent advertising campaign targeted at illegal migration.”
Member of Parliament (MP) Barry Gardiner demanded Home Secretary Theresa May investigate the campaign, writing, “[w]e do not yet live in a society where the police or any other officers of the law are entitled to detain people without reasonable justification and demand their papers. The actions of your department would however appear to be hastening us in that direction.”
In Southern Europe and the Caribbean, “cash-strapped” countries are in bidding wars to attract wealthy Chinese immigrants.
In Germany, where Chancellor Merkel ten years ago ran on a “Children Instead of Indians” campaign, employee shortages have led university and job recruiters to welcome immigrants.
In the UK, perceived racism and hostility will risk long-term damages to international relations, and immigration could be down when the UK needs it most.
For further information, please see:
Al Jazeera – UK Crackdown on Immigrants Branded Racist – August 2, 2013
BBC News – Home Office Vans: Unite Union in ‘Race Hatred’ Query – August 2, 2013
The Independent – Home Office Anti-Immigration Twitter Campaign Branded Start of ‘the UK Hunger Games’ – August 2, 2013
Sky News – Home Office Immigration Tactics Investigated – August 2, 2013
The Telegraph – Nigel Farage Attacks Home Office Immigrant Spot Checks as ‘Un-British’ – August 2, 2013
Guardian – Home Office Tactics in Illegal Immigration Crackdown Prompt Twitter Storm – August 1, 2013
The Times of India – UK’s Move for £3,000 Visa Bond ‘Retrograde Measure’: Anand Sharma – July 31, 2013
The Wall Street Journal – Cash-Strapped Nations Race to Attract Chinese Immigrants – July 30, 2013
Guardian – ‘Go Home’ Campaign against Illegal Immigrants Could Go Nationwide – July 29, 2013
Reuters – Germany Learning to Open Arms to Immigrants – July 21, 2013
