Thank you for your comment and for your long term support of Refugee Action. Here is some background information which I hope will answer your concerns.

Firstly, we have not, as stated in the article, launched any attack on Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats, or any other political party. Inevitably, the media has interpreted our statement in different ways.

In the pre-election phase we held a number of meetings with representatives from different political parties to share views on asylum policy. In particular, we have used every opportunity to stress the importance of the asylum decision making process i.e. ‘right first time decisions’, and to put forward some of our ideas for a new vision for asylum. Our priority is that accurate and fair decisions are critical both to build public confidence in the asylum system and to ensure that the government can fully meet the protection needs of all eligible refugees.

In the longer term, the building of public confidence in the system enables politicians to pull back from some of their harsher policy initiatives and create a more humane system. At present politicians of all persuasions, rightly or wrongly, feel compelled to ‘act tough’.

We have also encouraged politicians of all political persuasions to make a clear distinction between refugees seeking asylum as opposed to other forms of migration. This is to ensure that the interests of refugees and asylum seekers are not confused with those of other migrants. Confusion of this kind can only dilute the rights of our clients as well as harden public opinion against them.

In these meetings we have been asked for our views on an amnesty. Our position is consistent; we do not support a blanket amnesty. Whilst some other agencies have promoted an amnesty as a way forward we strongly believe that this runs counter to the best interests of our clients. It conflicts with our other positions i.e. that excellent decision making is crucial, that we must build public confidence in the asylum process, and that our clients must be distinguished from other migrants. A very public amnesty can only damage these important goals.

Refugee Action would never align ourselves in a party political way. However, it is important we hold consistent positions that we regard as being in the best interests of our clients.

I hope this goes some way to answering your questions. Thank you once again for your support.

Sara Ayech
Campaigns Officer

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268641/Refugee-charity-attacks-Nick-Clegg-illegal-immigrant-amnesty.html

Can someone from Refugee Action explain why this was neccessary…