“This week the Prime Minister said that without tougher immigration policies the UK risks turning into “an island of strangers”. We know the opposite to be true. 

Reflecting on the last two weeks, I am sure I am not alone in feeling an enormous sense of sadness and frustration. Once again, divisive politics has won, further spreading division and giving far-right ideas legitimacy.

Prior to the local government elections, some of our groups and supporting organisations were on the receiving end of unfounded and aggressive social media posts by individuals who are now elected officials. Is this the country we want? This legitimised behaviour is what we expect to see in the countries from which people seeking sanctuary have to flee.

One thing is clear: whatever steps are taken to ‘control migration’, it will never go far enough for those who seek to promote hate and divide our communities. When we treat newcomers as strangers to be feared rather than neighbours to be welcomed, we become strangers to our own values of compassion and fairness.”

Sian Summer -Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK

At City of Sanctuary Sheffield, we believe in a country where people are safe, welcomed, and treated with dignity. The Government’s new immigration proposals, and the rhetoric accompanying them, take us further away from this vision. 

Let’s be clear: yes, there is deep inequality in our society. But it is not caused by people seeking sanctuary. It is the result of political decisions: to underinvest in our public services, to allow a housing crisis to deepen, and to prioritise the super-rich over working people. Scapegoating migrants is a dangerous distraction; one that divides communities, fuels xenophobia, and hides the real roots of inequality. 

It’s been less than a year since towns across the UK, including Sheffield, faced far-right violence that targeted people seeking sanctuary and communities of colour. We have seen first-hand the harm caused when government rhetoric and policies encourage hostility.  

These are not the actions of a country committed to building stronger communities. They are the actions of one trying to blame the most marginalised instead of addressing systemic failures. These policies isolate, exclude and punish people who are ready to contribute. People who deserve protection and a fair chance, not hostility. 

There is a better way.  

In Sheffield, we see every day how people seeking sanctuary enrich our city: as carers, students, volunteers, neighbours, colleagues, and friends. We know that when people are welcomed, they contribute creatively and help build thriving communities. When people are properly supported and included – to study, to work, to live in a stable home – they thrive. Safety turns into belonging. 

We call on politicians, the media and our communities to reject scapegoating and to join us in building a future rooted in welcome, justice and solidarity. “

Tom Martin,Director, City of Sanctuary Sheffield

It’s right that ministers look to address concern over immigration, but the public wants principled competence rather than populist performance. The right to asylum is a fundamental principle of the international protection system and one of our nation’s core humanitarian obligations.

We would be deeply concerned if these plans result in making it even harder for victims of conflict and oppressive regimes to get a fair hearing or if they fail to protect children wrongly deemed to be adults.

The Prime Minister rightly talked about migration being part of our national story. Nowhere is this more true than with refugees, who have enriched British life and contributed to our national prosperity. We know from decades working with refugees that key for good integration into Britain is support with learning English as well as the ability to lay down roots here long term.

That is how people build decent new lives and are able to thrive. We fear the Government’s proposals will create barriers for refugees and undermine their ability to rebuild their lives and contribute to UK life as generations of refugees have done before.  

It’s less than a year since towns up and down the country were shocked by violence that targeted refugees and sought to tear communities apart. We need an immigration system that enables integration and contribution into communities and helps to heal divides, rather than deepen them further.

Enver Solomon, Refugee Council