I started a petition calling for them to be granted immigration amnesty – https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/216539
but many have got in touch saying they need help now.
The government appears to be in a state of confusion of what’s happening – leaving people in fear for their future in the UK. That’s why we urgently need a dedicated hotline staffed by experts who can immediately start helping people who might be affected – and help for legal services they may need.
I’m launching this fund with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Runnymede Trust and the Black Cultural Archives to help those affected by this cruel injustice.
The first £15,000 raised will fund legal assistance, including a helpline by the JCWI for those affected by these rules.
The Home Office has set up a helpline which may provide useful information, but everyone caught up in the immigration system needs independent, impartial advice from legal professionals whose duties are to them, not to the Home Secretary or the Government of the day. Since the Government removed legal aid from most immigration cases, the best way we can make sure people who can’t afford to pay get that advice is if you can donate to help lawyers and charities provide it.
I’m talking about people like Albert Thompson, who was refused NHS treatment for his cancer. People like Paulette Wilson who was taken to Yarls Wood and nearly forced onto a plane to Jamaica despite having lived in the UK since 1968. Or people like Elwaldo Romeo, who lived in Britain for nearly 60 years before being told he was here illegally by the Home Office. He moved to the UK from Antigua when he was four years old. Now he has been told to report to the government every two weeks.
Please give as much as you can, and share this fund to stop the injustice being done to the Windrush Generation.