1 UN 1999 figures quoted by Patrick A. Taran in ‘Migration, globalization and human rights: new challenges for Africa’, a workshop paper for Migrants’ Rights International. Some 14 million of these displaced people are recognised by the UNHCR as refugees.
2.
2 The phrases are those used to describe those migrating to the UK, including refugees, by the UK Home Office in its 1998 White Paper, ‘Fairer, faster and firmer’ (London, Stationery Office, 1998).
3.
3 Quoted in IRR European Race Bulletin (No. 37, June 2001) from a workshop paper for the Institute of Race Relations.
4.
4 UN Population Division, ‘Migration Report’ (New York, UN, March 2000).
5.
5 Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on a Community Immigration Policy (Brussels, 22 November 2000).
6.
6 See A. Sivanandan, ‘Refugees from globalism’, Race & Class (Vol. 42, no. 3, 2001), pp. 87–91.
7.
7 See Jerry Harris, ‘US: the politics of globalisation’, Race & Class (Vol. 41, no. 3, 2001), pp. 59–72.
8.
8 I draw heavily in this section on the definitive account of both these processes by John Morrison, ‘The trafficking and smuggling of refugees: the endgame in European asylum policy’ (UNHCR, July 2000).
9.
9 Taran, op. cit.
10.
10 See John Morrison, ‘The dark side of globalisation: the criminalisation of refugees. Race & Class (Vol. 43, no.1, 2001).
11.
11 Observer (4 February 2001).
12.
12 See Liz Fekete and Frances Webber, Inside Racist Europe (London, Institute of Race Relations, 1994).
13.
13 Formed in 1999 to establish a common integrated ‘cross-pillar’ approach targeted at the situation in the most important countries of origin of asylum seekers and migrants, the High Level Working Group is comprised of ‘high level officials’ from each member state and the European Commission.
14.
14 Statewatch (Vol. 10, no. 2, March–May 2000).
15.
15 This proposal was first mooted by Straw at a European conference on asylum held in Lisbon on 16 June 2000. See Migration News Sheet (No. 208, July 2000).
16.
16 ‘Fairer, faster and firmer’, op. cit.
17.
17 Ibid.
18.
18 Hansard HC (14 June 2000).
19.
19 See ‘Lessons from Europe: how the UK government’s asylum proposals will create racism and social exclusion’, IRR European Race Bulletin (No. 30, July 1999).
20.
20 Deborah Garvie, ‘Far from home: the housing of asylum seekers in private rented accommodation’ (London, Shelter, 2001).
21.
21 The phrase is that of the (then) head of the Local Government Association, Mike Boyle, as quoted in Big Issue (2–8 August 1998).
23 The Audit Commission estimates that local authorities are being defrauded of up to £100m a year by unscrupulous landlords who make false claims for housing asylum seekers and that this is a ‘significant new area of fraud’. Audit Commission, ‘Protecting the public purse’ (London, 2001).
24.
24 Hansard, HC (14 June 2000).
25.
25 All examples given by the TGWU, Oxfam and Refugee Council in their joint publication ‘Token gestures – the effects of the voucher scheme on asylum seekers and organisations in the UK’ (TGWU et al., 2001). As we go to press, home secretary Blunkett has ordered a review of the voucher system and asked civil servants to find an alternative. A package of reform measures is expected to be announced in the autumn which, it is believed, will lift the ban on asylum seekers working for the first six months but also introduce a stricter regime for those whose applications fail and who face deportation. ‘Blunkett to axe asylum vouchers’, Guardian (28 July 2001).
26.
26 Big Issue (4–10 June, 2001).
27.
27 David Woodhead, ‘The health and well-being of asylum seekers’ (London, Kings Fund, 2001).
28.
28 As cited by CARF (No. 61, April–May 2001).
29.
29 See, in particular, Sir David Ramsbotham ‘Report on a short unannounced inspection of HM Prison Rochester, 31 August–3 September 1999 (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2000).
30.
30 In reality, large numbers of asylum seekers are still detained in ordinary prisons.
31.
31 See Justice, ‘The Schengen information system, a human rights audit’, (December 2000).
32.
32 See coverage in Guardian (22 October and 17–20 November 1999).
33.
33 See IRR European Race Bulletin (Nos. 33/34, August 2000).
34.
34 See Steve Cohen, ‘From the Jews to the Tamils: Britain’s mistreatment of refugees’ (Manchester, Manchester Law Centre, 1998).
