Immigration - new material (72)
01 March 2004
Get it right. How the Home Office decision-making process fails refugees. Amnesty International February 2004, pp92. This study examines "the quality of initial decision-making on asylum claims in the UK" in light of the introduction of several pieces of legislation introduced "to deter asylum applicants and make access to the UK's territory, asylum procedure and other benefits difficult for those fleeing human rights violations." It considers "The asylum application and the initial decision making process", "The need for objective and comprehensive country of origin information", "Unreasoned assertions about individual credibility" and "Applicants who allege torture" and concludes that, as demonstrated by Refusal letters cited in the report, "Home Office initial decision-making in asylum cases is failing many applicants." www.amnesty.org.uk/deliver/document/15158
Social Work, Immigration and Asylum, Debra Hayes & Beth Humphries (eds.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2004, 240pp (ISBN 1 84310 194 7) £19.95. The thirteen contributions to this volume examine "the practical and ethical challenges facing human service professionals working with refugees, asylum seekers and other people subject to immigration controls". The essays cover the areas of child protection and family support, disability, the criminal justice system, asylum teams and immigration tribunals, considering "traditional anti-oppressive roles and the role professionals play as "gatekeepers" to services."
Hijab, el velo, Mugak, Centro de Estudios y Documentación sobre racismo y xenofobia, Peña y Goñi, 13-1_, 20002 San Sebastián, n. 26, 1st quarter 2004, pp. 59, 5 Euros. This issue focuses on the debate over the use of the veil in France, and features a report on the situation in the Strait of Gibraltar by the Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos of Andalucía, which includes charts on the numbers of deaths that result from Spanish immigration policy. In response to the change of government in Spain, the editorial staff also puts on the record a number of demands, asking whether the PSOE, which has presented itself as the party of change, is willing to promote "effective and concrete changes" with regards to immigration policy.
Inmigración, racismo y xenofobia, n. 6, Press review, July-September 2003, Mugak, centro de estudios y Documentación sobre racismo y xenofobia, SOS Arrazakeria, pp. 87. This useful press review includes sections on the press coverage of issues including border controls, immigration policies, crime and insecurity, integration and social issues in Spain, and includes sections on Navarre, the Basque Country and the European Union.
The Asylum and Immigration etc. Bill: Why law without judges was a step too far, Sarah Craig. SCOLAG Legal Journal Issue 318 (April) 2004. The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Bill "contains many proposals aimed at restricting the rights of asylum seekers, including new criminal offences for applicants without identification papers, electronic tagging of people on immigration bail, and the proposal to refuse food and shelter to families of failed asylum seekers, which could result in local authorities having to take children into care." Craig accuses the government of "double standards" and concludes that "Work still needs to be done to ensure that the changes to the Bill will be enough to preserve the rule of law, and to maintain human rights protections for those who need them most."
Asylum: a guide to recent legislation, Jane Coker, Judith Farbey, Nadine Finch & Alison Stanley. Immigration Law Practitioners' Association & Resource Information Service January 2004, pp80. This is the fourth edition of the guide which takes into account new provisions, such as citizenship ceremonies, induction centres and the Immigration Appeal introduced under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.