Amidst major asylum policy overhaul, 720 bishops, rabbis, church ministers and an imam from UK communities have written to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to raise concerns for refugee families.
The government has suspended a vital route for partner reunion and for children trying to reunite with parents, and under new settlement proposals would effectively end the automatic right to family reunion for newly recognised refugees, replacing it with a far more restrictive system that narrows the definition of “family” and puts reunion out of reach for many.
The letter, coordinated by the Joint Public Issues Team of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches, urges the Home Secretary to reconsider these plans, saying they will “deepen suffering and place Britain at odds with values long central to our national identity and to every major faith tradition in this land”.
Alongside concerns that “making family reunion inaccessible and/or contingent on a fee-paying route will neither reduce journeys nor create a more settled country”, the letter also highlights that restricting this safe route will “push desperate people toward the very smuggling networks we all wish to dismantle”.
The religious leaders, representing a wide range of faith groups, who gathered outside Parliament , are urging the Home Secretary, who has previously called for an expansion to family reunion, to “reconsider these proposals, to protect the right to family reunion, and to demonstrate the moral leadership that this moment demands.”
Rt Rev’d Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, one of the signatories, said: “Refugees make up a very small proportion of immigrants to the UK and they are wrongly blamed for longstanding pressures on housing and public services, often by those who seek to sow division. Historically the UK has shown great compassion towards people who have had no choice but to leave horrific circumstances of war and persecution.
“Family Reunion is not only compassionate but helps better integration which can ease pressure on public services. I hope the Government will demonstrate moral leadership and take the opportunity to reconsider these proposals.”
Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, said: “It is unimaginable what refugee parents must endure when they are separated from their children, or the anguish of husbands and wives kept apart. Refugee family reunion recognises that those granted protection should have the chance to rebuild their lives with their immediate families – the very people who depend on them, and with whom they share powerful bonds of love and responsibility — bonds that draw them together and cannot be put on hold. I have signed this letter to urge the Government to reconsider proposals that would place further barriers in the way of families rebuilding their lives together.”
Rabbi David Mason, Executive Director of HIAS+JCORE and letter signatory, said: “There is nothing fair or compassionate about keeping families divided. The Jewish community understands this well: the Kindertransport saved thousands of lives, but it also left many children separated from their families. We need to learn the lessons of that lasting pain. “At a time of deepening division, the Government must bring humanity and responsibility back into refugee policy. Reinstating family reunion rights would be a vital step and make a huge difference to people rebuilding their lives here.”
Jo Cobley, chief executive at Safe Passage International, a charity that helps refugee families reunite in safety and is campaigning against the family reunion proposals, said: “Abandoning children and families, who have already been torn apart by the chaos of war and persecution, to a life of separation is chilling. Every day, we see the devastating impact separation has on children and the people who care for them most, and we also see the precious moments when mums and dads can finally hug their children again after years without each other.
“We urge the government to listen to these faith leaders from across the UK, who are simply calling for compassion for refugee families, by urging the government to protect family reunion. Without family reunion as a safe alternative, we fear more people will be pushed into dangerous journeys to reach loved ones.”
You can still sign our open letter to the Home Secretary. If you are a local faith leader, will you join the 720+ in speaking out against these cruel proposals?
Your signature is a public witness that families belong together, and that compassion and human dignity must shape policy.
Want to know more about family reunion? Read our explainer here.
Read, sign, and share our family reunion campaign letter here.
Find our campaign case studies, and social media assets here.