Hello everyone,
The last month has been a busy one so I hope you’ll excuse the slight delay in getting this newsletter out.
The government’s recent announcement that it intends to schedule a deportation flight to Rwanda in the summer has generated chaos in the immigration system and fear among asylum seeking communities. At WFMA, we counter the government’s cruel narrative and hostile policies with solidarity, compassion and providing to support to people seeking sanctuary in our communities.
As ever, if there’s anything you’d like to be included in the next newsletter, or that you would like me to send to our supporters urgently, please contact me at [email protected]. I want this newsletter to be a helpful resource for members of the community, so appreciate feedback and input.
In solidarity,
Joseph
The Rwanda policy
Staying informed and getting support
Earlier this month, the UK passed the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ Act which enables the government to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda.
Asylum seekers sent to Rwanda will no longer be able to claim asylum in the UK or return to the UK except in extremely limited circumstances.
However, it is important to remember that Rwanda can only take a limited number – allegedly 2,000 – of people so most asylum seekers in the UK will not be sent there. The government have said they will not send children, family members of children in the UK, or Rwandan nationals. They also cannot send people who show specific risks of serious and irreversible harm if they were to be sent to Rwanda.
Furthermore, if you are not an asylum seeker, or your route to regularisation is separate from the asylum process, then you are not at risk.
It is possible that no one will be sent because of legal challenges, practical barriers, and protest.
There is still lots of uncertainty, and we don’t know how the policy will work in practice. As set out in our resource page, if you are at risk, it is important that you immediately seek legal advice from a solicitor.
Reporting centre solidarity
With Action Against Detention and Deportations, SOAS Detainee Support and many other groups, I’ve spent a lot of time over the last two weeks outside the immigration reporting centres in Croydon (Lunar House) and Hounslow (Eaton House) – some distance from Waltham Forest, but they are the locations where some asylum seekers have to report regularly to the Home Office, and are at risk of being detained prior to deportation to Rwanda.
We’ve been speaking to people reporting, and handing out leaflets containing basic information that might help people if they do get detained, including the contact details of the brilliant lawyers who are taking on Rwanda cases, chief among them Wilsons and Duncan Lewis.
Want to learn more about reporting? Read this updated introduction from Right to Remain. If you want to get involved on the ground, feel free to email me at [email protected].
WFMA updates
Lush event
From 12-14th April WFMA ran a stall at Lush in Stratford as part of a charity fundraising collaboration with the store.
With the combined sales of our t-shirts and badges, and Lush’s charity lotion pots, we raised a grand total of £1003.82 that will go directly towards our running costs. We also gained several new subscribers to the newsletter!
London Legal Walk
Our fundraising page for the London Legal Walk is up and running. Please consider donating! WFMA gets to keep 100% of the funds we raise – all of which will go towards our running costs, including keeping our Support Centre and weekly advice service going.
We also need people to sign up to the walk – at the moment it’s just me! So please get in touch at [email protected] if you’re keen to join. It will be a fun day out – a 10 km walk starting in central London on the afternoon of Tuesday 18 June.
Events / actions
Waltham Forest Anti-Raids Training
Waltham Forest Anti-Raids Network will be running an anti-raids training session – Saturday, 11th May – from 1–3pm, at Walthamstow Trades Hall. All are welcome to join.
It will cover how to spot a raid, how to intervene, how to support the people being targeted by the raid, how to prepare for the Home Office’s new tactics for deportations to Rwanda and how to build sustainable resistance in the long term. If you can’t make it, take a look at this guide by Right to Remain.
Connecting Struggles event
This looks to be an exciting panel with with Harsha Walia, Leah Cowan, Akram Salhab, Captain Support & SOAS Detainee Support about the connections between different international justice struggles. The event will include discussion, music, drinks and a raffle, all raising money for the brilliant Captain Support! May 19th at Pelican House, E1 5QJ from 7pm. Tickets here.
Our Democracy, Our Say – Parliamentary Event
On Tuesday 14 May, We Belong is bringing together cross-party MPs and young people from different parts of the UK to speak out against spiralling Home Office fees.
If you’re between the ages of 16-25, this is your chance to speak out for solutions. Travel and refreshments will be provided to every young person attending the event! Register now.
News
Gaza Families Reunited Campaign – Email your MP
We have supported Gaza Families Reunited’s campaign for a family reunion scheme from the beginning. On Monday 13th May at 4:30pm, MPs will debate the petition that 103,800+ of us signed calling for a Gaza Family Scheme that would reunite Palestinian families until it is safe for them to return.
Please email your MP to attend the debate on Monday – you can use this email tool.
Stories and Supper cookery videos
Our friends at Stories & Supper are releasing a new series of cookery videos over the next couple of months, celebrating the home cuisine of their members, from Sri Lanka to DRC, India to Abkhazia. The short films showcase recipes from refugees and asylum seekers, alongside stories illustrating the importance of food and friendship for creating a sense of belonging in a new place. The mouth-watering recipes include Sri Lankan pumpkin curry, salt fish and fumbwa from Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuelan empanadas. The chefs reveal what they love about their chosen dish as they share memories of back home. They also talk of their struggles in the UK, the long wait for permission to stay here and how Stories & Supper has helped them build a sense of community.
You can view the films on the Stories & Supper YouTube channel here.
Housing Justice – Refugee Lodgings
To mitigate the homelessness crisis among refugees in Britain, Housing Justice has launched its Refugee Lodgings initiative, which aims to support people with a spare room in London to accommodate recently granted refugees at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping for six months. More information on their website.
Get involved!
Could you be a WFMA volunteer?
If you have any time to spare each week, month or even for a one-off piece of work, please do email [email protected] and we will send you a registration form so we can see how we might best use your talents!
If you’re interested in anything campaigns or communications related, please contact me at [email protected]
Support us
Become a WFMA member and become part of our community – click here to fill out the joining form.
Alternatively, click here! to make a one-time donation – or even better, set up a monthly recurring donation – and make a valuable contribution to what we do.
Every penny you give will be appreciated and go towards helping us give urgently needed support to migrants in Waltham Forest through our Support Centre and other work.
The Support Centre is open for drop-in every Friday from 10am -12.30pm at the Baptist Church, 65 Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow E17 7AS.
For more information, please email is [email protected]. Most immigration inquiries will require a follow up appointment – so drop in, phone or email to secure a time.
Waltham Forest Migrant Action 