Home Office hostile environment policy explained

The UK Home Office hostile environment policy is a set of administrative and legislative measures designed to make staying in the United Kingdom as difficult as possible for people without leave to remain, in the hope that they may "voluntarily leave".[1] [2] [3] [4] The Home Office policy was first announced in 2012 under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.[5] The policy was widely seen as being part of a strategy of reducing UK immigration figures to the levels promised in the 2010 Conservative Party Election Manifesto.[6] [7] [8]

The policy has been cited as one of the harshest immigration policies in the history of the United Kingdom, and has been widely criticised as inhumane, ineffective, and unlawful.[9] [10] The United Nations Human Rights Council has stated that the policy has fostered xenophobia within the UK, while the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that the policy broke equalities law.[11] [12]

It has notably led to significant issues with the Windrush generation and other Commonwealth citizens being deported after not being able to prove their right to remain in the UK, despite being guaranteed that right. The resulting Windrush scandal led to the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary, on 29 April 2018, and the appointment of Sajid Javid as her successor.[13] [14] [15]

Origin of the term

In 2012, Theresa May, who was the Conservative Home Secretary at the time, introduced the Hostile Environment Policy saying that: "The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants".[1] In May 2007, Liam Byrne, who was the Labour immigration minister at the time, had referred to a "hostile environment" in an announcement of a consultation document: "We are trying to create a much more hostile environment in this country if you are here illegally".[16]

Policy

In October 2013, May stated, "we will extend the number of non-suspensive appeals so that, where there is no risk of serious and irreversible harm, we can deport first and hear appeals later".[17] [18]

The policy included the removal of homeless citizens of other European Union countries.[19] [20] Additionally, through the implementation of the Immigration Act 2014 and Immigration Act 2016, the policy included requirements for landlords, the NHS, charities, community interest companies and banks to carry out ID checks.[21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]

The policy also implemented a more complicated application process to get 'leave to remain' based on the principle of 'deport first, appeal later', whilst encouraging voluntary deportation though strategies including "Go Home" vans as part of "Operation Vaken", as well as adverts in newspapers, shops, and charity and faith buildings used by ethnic minorities.[28] [29] [30] [31]

In 2018, the Home Office lost 75% of their appeals against applicants for refugee status who challenged rejections by the Home Office.[32] Sonya Sceats, the chief executive of Freedom from Torture, said:

Long drawn-out legal processes are traumatic for anyone, let alone those who have fled persecution. Having an impartial judge accept that you are at risk of torture or death if you are forced back, only to have this challenged all over again by the Home Office before yet another appeal panel, can have devastating consequences ... important questions must be asked about the necessity for, and humanity of, these appeals.

A 2018 governmental review revealed that the Home Office had tried to deport at least 300 highly skilled migrants (including teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers and IT professionals) under the 322(5) provision, at least 87 successfully. This mostly affected people who had lived in the UK for more than 10 years and had children born in the UK. Many were given only 14 days to leave the UK and were made ineligible to apply for visas to return. The review found that 65% of 322(5) decisions were overturned by an upper tribunal and 45% of applicants for judicial review were successful (28% of judicial reviews found in favour of the defendant). Additionally, the review found that 32% of "complex cases" were wrongly decided.[33]

Criticism

The policy has been criticised for being unclear, has led to many incorrect threats of deportation and has been called "Byzantine" by the England and Wales Court of Appeal for its complexity.[34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]

The immigration lawyer and campaigner Colin Yeo described the effect of the policy as: "the creation of an illegal underclass of foreign, mainly ethnic minority workers and families who are highly vulnerable to exploitation and who have no access to the social and welfare safety net."[41]

In February 2018, Members of Parliament called for a review of the policy.[42] [43]

In December 2018, it emerged that enforcement of the "hostile environment" policy in one part of the UK government – the Home Office – was dooming to failure initiatives championed and funded by other parts of the UK government.[44] [45]

A September 2020 report on the Hostile Environment by the Institute for Public Policy Research found that the policy had "contributed to forcing many people into destitution, has helped to foster racism and discrimination, and has erroneously affected people with the legal right to live and work in the UK."[46]

A Equality and Human Rights Commission report released in November 2020 found that the Home Office had broken its public sector equality duty with the Hostile Environment policy and that the Office, including its senior leadership, routinely ignored the negative consequences of the policy.[47]

Police

Out of the 45 UK territorial police forces, over half acknowledged handing over the details of migrant victims and witnesses of crimes to the Home Office for immigration enforcement, while only 3 denied doing so.[48]

Several cases of victims of serious crimes, including rape, being arrested upon reporting the crime have been uncovered.[49] [50] Step Up Migrant Women Campaign, a coalition of dozens of organisations working with migrant victims of domestic abuse, was formed in response to this trend.[51]

Amid criticisms, the National Police Chiefs’ Council issued a guidance in December 2018 which declares that "the fundamental principle must be for the police to first and foremost treat [the person reporting a crime] as a victim" and advises against systematic checking of victims' immigration status for the purpose of sharing that information with immigration enforcement. In addition, while the guidance states that, upon discovering irregular immigration status, "it is wholly appropriate that the officer in the case should contact immigration enforcement at the appropriate juncture", it does posit that no enforcement action beyond information-sharing should be taken by police outside of safeguarding concerns.[52] [53]

The practice is thought to lead to the under-reporting of crime against undocumented people in the UK due to a fear of arrest and deportation of the victims.[54] [55] [56] [57] Deeming the NPCC's guidance insufficient to provide protection to victims, various charities called for the implementation of a firewall, a complete ban on information-sharing, between police and immigration officials. In December 2018, a super-complaint against the police forces of England and Wales was lodged in response to the systemic information-sharing and its perverse consequences.[58]

Immigration officials have been accused of using coercive tactics to enter and search homes and businesses without warrants under the policy, disproportionately targeting people from minority ethnic backgrounds.[59]

Housing

Charities, campaigners, and landlords have criticised the hostile environment within the Right to Rent scheme, saying it is 'unlawful and discriminates against tenants on the basis of their race or nationality', and that it contributes to homelessness.[60]

In January 2019, it emerged that tight restrictions on the right to rent (i.e. the right to become a tenant), under the "hostile environment" policy, had caused homelessness for some British citizens living in Britain.[61]

In 2020, the UK Home Office used the Penally Training Camp barracks to house asylum seekers.[62] The conditions in the camp were described as inadequate with some of the asylum seekers protesting that their human rights were being ignored and comparing the camp to a prison.[63] [64] The Welsh Government issued a statement: "The camp does not meet the basic human needs of people seeking a new life in the UK" and called for its use to end as quickly as possible.[65]

NHS

Medical professionals have criticised the hostile environment policy, which charges migrants for NHS treatment at 150% of usual rates thus putting at risk people's health as it leads to individuals avoiding visiting doctors due to fears of having their details passed on to the Home Office, and concerns they will be unable to afford the medical bills.[66] [67] This has included refusal to perform a heart transplant and end of life care for a 38-year-old man.[68] Even within its own regulations, the hostile environment has led to people being wrongly denied urgent healthcare including cancer treatment.[66] [69] Research at the University of Manchester showed that the policy made health services difficult to navigate and negotiate.[70] In April 2019, several UK medical professional organisations accused ministers of a cover up for refusing to release three official reports commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in 2017 into its decision to force NHS trusts in England to implement up front charging for services.[71] In 2021, a 29 year-old asylum seeker in the UK was given a £100,000 hospital bill after suffering a stroke which left him in a coma and paralysed. He had stopped taking anti-stroke medication due to having been previously charged £6,000 for the treatment.

The policy has been accused of worsening the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, as a result of hampering contract tracing and mass testing efforts.[72] [73] [74] The policy has also been criticised for contributing to a shortage of critical healthcare staff during the pandemic.[75] [76]

Deaths in custody

Since the inception of the hostile environment policy, a number of detainees have died in immigration removal centres, including at least five at Morton Hall.[77] [78]

Deportation of people at risk of murder or torture

The Home Office has been strongly criticised for its deportation, under the hostile environment policy, of people to countries where they are known to be at particular risk of being tortured or killed, such as Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. This practice is prohibited by Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which forms part of UK law as part of the Human Rights Act 1998.[79] [80] [81] [82] [83] In 2017, the Home Office under Amber Rudd deported a refugee back to Afghanistan in spite of a High Court order not to, was found in contempt of court[84] [85] [86] and on review was ordered to return him. Kenneth Baker was found in contempt of court when his Home Office did the same thing in 1991.[87] [88] [89] Another person was killed in Afghanistan following deportation from the UK.[90] [91]

Mistreatment of trafficking victims

In 2018, it emerged that under the "hostile environment" policy, victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the U.K. had been jailed in breach of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and that several had been deported by the Home Office.[92] [93] [94]

In November 2018, the Home Office reduced financial support for victims of modern slavery, but was subsequently ordered by the High Court to reverse the cut.[95] [96] Approximately 1,200 victims were affected.[97]

Government evaluations

In February 2023, the Conservative government published an assessment of the hostile environment policy's impact between 2014 and 2018. The report concluded that the five nationalities most impacted by the policy were of brown or black heritage and all five were visibly not white, while other nationalities such as Albanian and Brazilian people, despite being among the groups most commonly found to be illegally present in the UK, were less frequently affected by the measures. A December 2018 investigation by the National Audit Office found that the policy had not been implemented with sufficient care and did not provide value for money and a 2020 Institute for Public Policy Research report found that the hostile environment policy had fostered racism, pushed people into destitution, wrongly targeted people who were living in the UK legally, and had “severely harmed the reputation of the Home Office”.[98]

Windrush scandal

See main article: Windrush scandal. The policy led to issues with the Windrush generation and other Commonwealth citizens not being able to prove their right to remain in the UK. The resulting Windrush scandal led to the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary, on 29 April 2018, and the appointment of Sajid Javid as her successor.[13] [14] [15]

In comments seen by the press as distancing himself from his predecessor as Home Secretary, Theresa May, Javid told Parliament that "I don't like the phrase hostile. So the terminology I think is incorrect and I think it is a phrase that is unhelpful and it doesn't represent our values as a country", preferring the term "compliant environment" instead.[28] [99] [100] However, former officials from the Home Office have said that "She's (Theresa May) wedded to the hostile environment albeit with a different name. It's going to be difficult for any home secretary to put their own stamp on things."[28] Javid "stopped short of rowing back from the meat of the hostile environment policy, insisting that tackling illegal immigration is vital".[28]

On 19 March 2020, the Home Office released the Windrush Lessons Learned Review.[101] [102] This report resulted from an independent inquiry into the Windrush scandal, managed and conducted by Wendy Williams, an inspector of constabulary.[103] The report was a scathing indictment of the Home Office's handling of Windrush individuals, and concluded that the Home Office showed an inexcusable "ignorance and thoughtlessness", and that what had happened had been "foreseeable and avoidable". It further found that immigration regulations were tightened "with complete disregard for the Windrush generation", and that officials had made irrational demands for multiple documents to establish residency rights.[104] The report recommended a full review of the "hostile environment" immigration policy.

On 25 November 2020, a report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission said that the Home Office broke the law by failing to obey public-sector equality duties (a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010) by not considering how its policies affected black members of the Windrush generation.[105]

Media coverage

In June 2020, BBC Television screened an 85-minute, one-off drama, Sitting in Limbo, starring Patrick Robinson as Anthony Bryan, who was caught up in the effects of the policy.[106] [107]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: 'Hostile environment': the hardline Home Office policy tearing families apart. Hill. Amelia. 2017-11-28. The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  2. Web site: How Theresa May's "hostile environment" created an underworld . Newstatesman.com. 19 December 2017 . 2018-04-16.
  3. Web site: Inspection report of hostile environment measures, October 2016 - GOV.UK. 2018-04-16.
  4. News: A Home Office humanity test Letters. Letters. 2018-04-15. The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  5. News: Kirkup . James . Theresa May interview: 'We're going to give illegal migrants a really hostile reception' . 17 January 2019 . The Telegraph . 25 May 2012.
  6. News: 'Hostile environment': the hardline Home Office policy tearing families apart. Hill. Amelia. 2017-11-28 . The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  7. News: The Observer view on the UK's increasingly harsh immigration policy Observer editorial. 2018-04-15 . The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  8. News: What is the 'hostile environment' policy?. BBC News. 2018-04-19.
  9. Web site: Hostile environment: The UK government's draconian immigration policy explained.
  10. Web site: The hostile environment is indefensible. Now we know it's unlawful too | Satbir Singh. . 25 November 2020.
  11. Web site: Austerity measures and hostile environment 'entrenching racism' in UK, says UN. . 15 June 2019.
  12. Web site: Home Office broke equalities law with hostile environment measures. . 25 November 2020.
  13. News: Number of Windrush cases passes 5,000 . Grierson. Jamie. 2018-05-25. . 2018-05-25.
  14. News: Home Office routinely disbelieves people – even those claiming asylum from persecution. McFadyen. Gillian. 2018-05-01. The Conversation. 2018-05-28.
  15. News: Theresa May defends UK government's Windrush response. Syal. Rajeev . 2018-06-10. The Guardian. 2018-06-10.
  16. News: Travis . Alan. 2007-05-16 . Officials launch drive to seek out illegal migrants at work. . 2019-08-10.
  17. 22 Oct 2013 . Oral Answers to Questions . Parliamentary Business. Column 131 .
  18. Web site: Theresa May boasted she would 'deport first and hear appeals later'. Nicola. Bartlett . 20 April 2018 . Mirror.co.uk. 13 February 2019.
  19. News: Hounding Commonwealth citizens is no accident. It's cruelty by design. Younge. Gary . 2018-04-13. The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  20. News: Hostile environment 2.0: Post-Brexit migration plans are all too familiar. politics.co.uk. 2018-04-16.
  21. News: Banks run immigration checks in Home Office crackdown. Sky News. 2018-04-16.
  22. Web site: Is our personal data fair game in the drive to create Theresa May's "hostile environment" for migrants?. 2018-01-24 . Opendemocracy.net. 2018-04-16.
  23. News: EU parents warned children need papers to stay in UK after Brexit . O'Carroll. Lisa. 2018-03-28. The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  24. Web site: Caribbean nations demand solution to 'illegal immigrants' anomaly. Gentleman. Amelia. 2018-04-12. The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  25. News: Amber Rudd apologises for mistreatment of Windrush generation. . 2018-04-16 . subscription.
  26. News: Another blow for May's hostile environment for immigrants . 2018-02-20. Global Justice Now. 2018-04-16.
  27. Web site: Statewatch News Online: UK: "Hostile environment" faces criticism from parliamentary committee as new migration checks on bank accounts come into force. Statewatch.org. 2018-04-16.
  28. Web site: Grierson . Jamie . Hostile environment: anatomy of a policy disaster . The Guardian . 27 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180827163523/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/27/hostile-environment-anatomy-of-a-policy-disaster . 27 August 2018 . live.
  29. News: What is the 'hostile environment' policy?. BBC News. 2018-04-19.
  30. News: Footage emerges of 'distressing' home visit by immigration officers. Gentleman. Amelia . Bannock. Caroline. 2018-05-16. The Guardian. 2018-05-16.
  31. News: Sierra Leonean athlete can stay in UK after three-year legal fight. Siddique. Haroon. 2018-05-18. The Guardian. 2018-05-19.
  32. News: Home Office loses 75% of its appeals against immigration rulings. Taylor. Diane. 2018-09-03. The Guardian. 2018-09-03.
  33. News: Home Office tried to deport 300 skilled migrants under terrorism law. Hill. Amelia. 2018-11-23. The Guardian. 2018-11-23.
  34. News: Britain's immigration system 'too open to error', MPs warn. 2018-01-14. The Independent . 2018-04-16.
  35. News: Home Office urged to stop 'inhumane' immigration checks on bank accounts. 2017-12-19. The Independent. 2018-04-16.
  36. Web site: The phrase 'Hostile Environment' is used a lot. But what does it mean exactly? . 2018-04-16. The3million.org.uk.
  37. News: Disabled Briton held in immigration removal centre for four months. Taylor. Diane. 2018-04-04 . The Guardian. 2018-04-16.
  38. News: The Home Office must drop 'hostile environment' approach for Brexit . 2018-04-13. The Institute for Government . 2018-04-16.
  39. News: The fightback against May's hostile environment has begun. politics.co.uk. 2018-04-16. 2019-07-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190710154348/https://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2017/11/22/the-fightback-against-may-s-hostile-environment-has-begun. dead.
  40. Colin Yeo, 'How complex is UK immigration law and is this a problem?' (24/01/18) on Free Movement
  41. News: Ward . Jon. The hostile environment: what is it and who does it affect?. 2017-06-03. 2018-05-01.
  42. News: MPs call for review into May's 'hostile environment' for migrants. politics.co.uk. 2018-04-16.
  43. News: Children 'denied free school meals because of parents' immigration status'. Weale. Sally. 2018-05-09. The Guardian. 2018-05-10.
  44. Web site: UK efforts in Iraq 'hindered by hostile immigration policy'. Matthew. Weaver. 16 December 2018. Theguardian.com.
  45. News: Women forced into marriage overseas asked to repay cost of return to UK . Busby. Mattha. 2019-01-02. The Guardian. 2019-01-02. 0261-3077.
  46. Web site: Access denied: The human impact of the hostile environment. 3 September 2020.
  47. Web site: Home Office broke equalities law with hostile environment measures. . 25 November 2020.
  48. News: Nye . Catrin . Bloomer . Natalie . Jeraj . Samir . Victims of serious crime face arrest over immigration status . https://web.archive.org/web/20191202173818/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44074572 . dead . 2019-12-02 . 2020-02-05 . BBC News . 2018-05-14.
  49. News: Siddique. Haroon. Rawlinson. Kevin. 2017-11-28 . Rape victim arrested on immigration charges after going to police . The Guardian . 2020-02-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191208074330/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/28/victim-arrested-on-immigration-charges-after-going-to-police . 2019-12-08.
  50. News: Victims of crime being handed over to immigration enforcement. Taylor. Diane . 2018-05-14. The Guardian. 2018-05-14.
  51. Web site: Step Up Migrant Women .
  52. News: Dodd . Vikram . Police to stop passing on immigration status of crime victims . https://web.archive.org/web/20191101120835/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/07/police-to-stop-passing-on-immigration-status-of-victims . dead . 2019-11-01 . 2020-02-06 . The Guardian . 2018-12-07.
  53. Web site: New guidance for officers on sharing information with Immigration Enforcement. https://web.archive.org/web/20200206103157/https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/new-guidance-for-officers-on-sharing-information-with-immigration-enforcement. dead. 2020-02-06. 2018-12-07. 2020-02-05. npcc.police.uk.
  54. News: May's Past Bites Her as Minister Admits Wrongful Deportations . 2018-04-16 . Bloomberg.com . 2018-04-16.
  55. News: 'Windrush generation' deportation threat. 2018-04-11. BBC News. 2018-04-16.
  56. News: Amber Rudd pledges action to resolve status of Windrush citizens . Gentleman . Amelia . Crerar . Pippa . 2018-04-16 . . 2018-04-16.
  57. News: No recourse to public funds: How the UK's hostile environment policy is driving people into destitution. 2018-01-17. Holyrood Magazine. 2018-04-16.
  58. Web site: Police face first 'super-complaint' over immigration referrals. Mark. Townsend. 15 December 2018. 15 December 2018. The Guardian.
  59. Web site: UK immigration officials accused of using coercive tactics to access homes. . 25 November 2020.
  60. P. Butler, 'Court challenge to hostile environment tenancy scheme begins' (18/12/18) in The Guardian
  61. News: British man and family made homeless by Home Office after it blocks them from renting property. 30 January 2019. The Independent. 30 January 2019.
  62. News: Reunited After Penally, Asylum Seekers Build Solidarity Against The Hostile Environment. 2021. Voice.Wales. 30 April 2021.
  63. News: Clements . Laura . The unacceptable conditions inside the dilapidated army barracks being used to house asylum seekers which they call a prison . . 12 November 2020.
  64. News: 'Human rights ignored' at asylum seeker camp . BBC News . 11 November 2020.
  65. Web site: Hutt . Jane . Jane Hutt . Written Statement: Use of Penally army training camp for asylum seekers . . 15 October 2020.
  66. S. Usborne, 'How the hostile environment crept into UK schools, hospitals and homes' (01/08/18) in The Guardian
  67. Web site: 2021-09-18. Asylum seeker given £100,000 hospital bill after suffering stroke. 2021-09-18 . the Guardian.
  68. News: Dying man given bill for tens of thousands of pounds for NHS treatment. 2019-01-22. Johnson. Sarah. 2019-01-22. The Guardian. 0261-3077.
  69. News: Campbell. Denis. 2019-01-21. 'I thought they were killing me': NHS trust halted asylum seeker's cancer treatment. The Guardian . 2019-01-21. 0261-3077.
  70. News: 'Hostile Environment' NHS policies are failing refugees and asylum seekers . 12 February 2019 . 13 February 2019 . Manchester University.
  71. News: Ministers accused of cover-up over migrant health reports . Campbell. Denis. 2019-04-03. The Guardian. 2019-04-04. 0261-3077.
  72. Web site: Coronavirus and the Hostile Environment .
  73. Web site: COVID-19 & the Hostile Environment | Electronic Immigration Network.
  74. Covid-19: Contact tracing requires ending the hostile environment. 2020. Dropkin. Greg. BMJ. 368 . m1320. 32234719. 214718627 . 10.1136/bmj.m1320 . free.
  75. Web site: Maya Goodfellow. 30 March 2020 . The hostile environment is creating a coronavirus crisis for Britain's migrants. .
  76. Web site: How the 'Hostile Environment' Has Made This Pandemic Harder for Doctors Like Me . 17 June 2020.
  77. Web site: Fourth death at Lincoln immigration removal centre prompts inquiry . Diane . Taylor. 20 November 2017. The Guardian.
  78. Web site: Diane . Taylor . Call for inquiry into death at Morton Hall immigration detention centre . The Guardian . 7 September 2014.
  79. Web site: Home Office criticised for accelerating removals to Zimbabwe. Frances. Perraudin. 12 February 2019. 13 February 2019. Theguardian.com.
  80. News: Man injured in bomb blast as a child waiting to hear whether Theresa May can deport him to Afghanistan. 25 April 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  81. Web site: 'I can hardly sleep': the Zimbabweans facing deportation from UK. Frances. Perraudin. 12 February 2019. 13 February 2019. Theguardian.com.
  82. Web site: 'I fear for my life': UK urged not to deport Zimbabwean activist. Amelia. Hill. 10 September 2018. 13 February 2019. Theguardian.com.
  83. Web site: Deported gay Afghans told to 'pretend to be straight'. Emma. Graham-Harrison. 26 February 2017. 13 February 2019. Theguardian.com.
  84. News: Home secretary ignores court order and sends asylum seeker to Kabul. The Guardian. Diane. Taylor. 14 September 2017. 27 May 2019. "The second [court order] states that the home secretary, Amber Rudd, is in contempt of court for breaching the first order not to remove [Samim] Bigzad.".
  85. Web site: Amber Rudd in contempt of court for ignoring judge's order not to deport asylum seeker to Afghanistan. LawCareers.net. 20 September 2017. 27 May 2019. "Home Secretary Amber Rudd is in contempt of court after ignoring the orders of successive judges not to deport an asylum seeker [Samim Bigzad] to Afghanistan (...).".
  86. News: If Amber Rudd can't explain why she defied the courts, she should go. The Guardian. Charles. Falconer. 19 September 2017. 27 May 2019. "[Mr Justice Jay] said that the Home Office was already “prima facie” in contempt (...).".
  87. News: Home Secretary Amber Rudd 'could be jailed for contempt of court'. 20 September 2017. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  88. News: Home Office 'violates court order' to deport Afghan man threatened with beheading to Kabul. 13 September 2017. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  89. Web site: Home Office presses ahead with Afghan deportations as country unravels. Ian. Dunt. Politics.co.uk. 24 August 2015. 13 February 2019.
  90. News: Afghan father who sought refuge in UK 'shot dead by Taliban' after being deported by Home Office. 13 September 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  91. News: 'My six-year-old still thinks her daddy is coming home': Wife of deported Afghan 'killed by Taliban' speaks out. 14 September 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  92. Web site: Scores of female trafficking victims held in UK jails due to 'disturbing' failure to identify exploitation. 16 September 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  93. Web site: Labour accuses Theresa May of 'hollow' modern slavery pledges. 29 August 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  94. Web site: Government under fire for 'outrageous' treatment of modern slavery victims facing deportation from UK. 11 June 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  95. Web site: Toby . Helm . 3 November 2018 . Trafficked Europeans may have to pay to stay in UK post-Brexit. 13 February 2019 . Theguardian.com.
  96. Web site: Home Office cuts to benefits which support victims of modern slavery are unlawful, High Court rules . 8 November 2018. The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  97. Web site: Home Office employing temporary workers on low pay to make 'life-or-death' decisions on trafficking cases. 13 February 2019 . The Independent. 13 February 2019.
  98. Web site: Gentleman . Amelia . UK's hostile environment policies 'disproportionately impact' people of colour . The Guardian . 12 February 2023 . 9 February 2023.
  99. News: Sajid Javid says Theresa May's 'hostile' immigration rhetoric is not British. 2018-04-30. The Independent . 2018-05-01.
  100. News: New home secretary Javid opposes 'hostile environment' approach to immigration. Uk.reuters.com. 2018-05-01.
  101. Web site: Home Office . Patel . Priti . Priti Patel . Home Secretary's oral statement on the Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams . https://web.archive.org/web/20200319121630/https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/windrush-lessons-learned-review . 19 March 2020 . live .
  102. Book: Williams, Wendy . 2020 . Windrush Lessons Learned Review .
  103. Web site: HM Inspector of Constabulary and HM Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services: Wendy Williams . Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services . https://web.archive.org/web/20190510180756/https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/about-us/who-we-are/wendy-williams/ . 10 May 2019 . live .
  104. News: Windrush report condemns Home Office 'ignorance and thoughtlessness' . 19 March 2020 . The Guardian . https://web.archive.org/web/20200319115241/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/19/windrush-report-condemns-home-office-ignorance-and-thoughtlessness . 19 March 2020 . live .
  105. News: Gentleman . Amelia . Home Office broke equalities law with hostile environment measures . 26 November 2020 . The Guardian . 25 November 2020.
  106. Web site: BBC One - Sitting in Limbo . . 15 June 2020.
  107. News: Ferguson . Euan . The week in TV: I May Destroy You; Sitting in Limbo; Staged; McMillions; Das Boot . 15 June 2020 . The Guardian . 14 June 2020.