MRN submitted evidence to the Public Accounts Committee Immigration Enforcement inquiry to describe how immigration enforcement activities are impacting migrant and Black and Minority Ethnic communities, and undermining community relations through their practices.

Below is a summary of our submission and our key asks:

Executive Summary

• Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) businesses are being disproportionately targeted by immigration raids based on limited ‘intelligence,’ which has suggested that ‘racial profiling’ is being used to justify these raids. This has a damaging effect on all migrants and BAME communities.
• Homelessness charities are performing joint outreach sessions with Immigration and Compliance Enforcement Teams (ICE), which is impeding the duty of care, which charities have to their beneficiaries.
• With regards to the Home Office’s Rough Sleeping Support Service (RSSS), all migrants have a right to independent legal advice, being clearly told the possible negative outcomes of submitting to the RSSS, and the ability to withdraw their consent to the RSSS at any time.
• Migrants have a right to gather with their communities and to worship in safety. The “community surgeries” being placed within places of worship and community organisations are inhibiting this basic human right.
• Moving forward, the Government must provide increased transparency, including ways in which their practices have contributed to discriminatory behaviour, and must cease the co-opting of charities for joint immigration enforcement operations.

Our key asks:

• More transparency from the Home Office on so-called ‘intelligence-led’ operations is urgently required 
• The Home Office to publicly demonstrate how they are not discriminating and ‘racially profiling’ communities targeted
• We would urge the Home Office to stop performing immigration raids in the community. Immigration raids on small business owners have a significant impact on their financial earnings, their reputation amongst the community and with their workers. 
• The Home Office to cease the ‘community surgeries’ as our evidence has demonstrated the detrimental impact on migrant and marginalised communities, and their relationship with faith and community organisations 
• The Home Office to cease the co-opting of charities to undertake joint operations, as this undermines the support sector and makes individuals vulnerable to human rights abuses

Read our full submission here