Australia ends detention regime for asylum seekers

Almost seven years after Australia sent commandos onto the MV Tampa to block the Afghans migrants on board from reaching the mainland after the fishing vessel sank in international waters, the government has said it will now abandon it's controversial policy of jailing all asylum seekers.

Chris Evans, Immigration Minister of the centre-left Labour government, said detention in often-remote immigration jails would now be used only as a last resort. "Desperate people are not deterred by the threat of harsh detention. They are often fleeing much worse circumstances."

The ending of ex-prime minister John Howard's so-called "Pacific Solution", under which asylum seekers were sent to special detention centres in the Papua New Guinea island of Manus and the tiny Pacific state of Nauru, had been a pledge in last year's election.

UK No Borders Network Newsletter 4 Out

The fourth newsletter of the UK No Borders network is out now and should be available for download soon from here.

Migrant Criminals A Myth

According to a report submitted by two chief constables to the home secretary, there is no evidence to indicate that the recent expansion of the EU and consequent immigration of Eastern Europeans has lead to any sort of increase in crime. The report points to an increase in tensions in communities that have received new migrants as the cause of the myth of immigrant criminals but has found no evidence to actually support it.
The full story can be found here.

Harmondsworth Prisoners Organise

116 Harmondsworth prisoners have signed a petition calling out the Home Office for (from the petition):

1. Turning a blind eye to overwhelming evidence that purports to strenghten our cases.
2.Not allowing sufficient time in preparation of our cases; with a view of making us frustrated and succumbing to removal/ deportation.
3.Maliciously misrepresenting and miscopying the facts of our cases, for the purpose of making it easy for the Judges to arrive at sinister and unjustifiable decisions.
4.Providing us with legal representatives who are more interested in soliciting our deportations, than foiling them.

Riot police entered the detention centre and appear to be dispersing prisoners to other Immigration Removal Prisons to break the organisation. Other details are sparse.

Oakington IRC Detainees On Hunger Strike

Detainees in Oakington Immigration Removal Prison began a hunger strike on the 28th of March to protest against the poor food and conditions inside. People's asylum claims are also apparently being overlooked if they don't speak English and consequently have no idea what their status is. The full story can be found on the BBC website.

Asylum System Branded 'Shameful'

The Independent Asylum Commission has published a report severely criticising the treatment of asylum seekers in the UK. The report can be found here and contains some interesting insights in to immigration removal system in the UK. However, it's worth noting the first point of the summary...

The Commission has found almost universal acceptance of the principle that there must be an asylum system, and that it must be applied fairly, firmly and humanely. These criteria must be fulfilled for the UK system to be ‘fit for purpose’.

... precludes the possibility that the report will do anything to challenge the root causes of the racism inherent in immigration policy.

Harmondsworth Four Acquitted!

The Harmondsworth Four, who have been on trial for the disturbances in Harmondsworth Immigration Prison, were acquitted on the 22nd of this month. The Support The Harmondsworth Four campaign held protests outside the courts every Monday of the trial.