January 21, 2022
Back

Windrush victim fears 'disturbing' new law will lead to another British immigration scandal - Yahoo News

Windrush victim fears 'disturbing' new law will lead to another British immigration scandal
Scrap The Nationality and Borders Bill' placard is seen during a demonstration outside UK parliament.
Scrap The Nationality and Borders Bill' placard is seen during a demonstration outside UK parliament.

  • Powers granted under a new law would allow the Home Office to strip an individual's British citizenship without giving them notice.

  • But the move has been likened to the Windrush scandal, with one victim branding it "disturbing".

  • "People are still destitute... while a policy that is going to create another Windrush is being passed into law," said one campaigner.

A controversial new immigration bill could lay the groundwork for a new Windrush-style scandal, in which thousands of British people were wrongly deported or told they were living in the UK illegally, victims have warned.

The Nationality and Borders Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, includes a clause enabling the Home Office to strip an individual's British citizenship without giving them notice.

The Home Office has been able to remove citizenship from British citizens since 2005, but this new move has sparked concern because of the number of people it could apply to – and the lack of options they have afterwards. The New Statesman estimates that up to 6 million UK citizens could be affected by the change in law, including two-in-five people from a non-white ethnic minority background.

Anthony Williams, a victim of the Windrush scandal who served in the British army for 13 years, said the legislation had left him feeling even further marginalized.

In 2013, Williams was one of the thousands of Black British citizens who was wrongly told he was living in the UK illegally, resulting in him becoming destitute for five years because he was unable to work.

"The way I interpret what they're trying to do is really disturbing," he said. "I didn't spend 13 years in the army for nothing. I was willing to give up my life for this country — and now for someone to turn around and make me a third-class citizen."

Ramya Jaidev, a spokesperson for the campaign group Windrush Lives, said the threat of losing citizenship without notice had created new fear among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.



source: https://news.yahoo.com/windrush-victim-fears-disturbing-law-153535988.html

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.