Dan Sohege

COMMENT

Channel crossings: No “soundbite” or “three word answer”.

— I had a dream last night where I was briefing a Prime Minister about practical, humane, ways to reduce channel crossings. You could tell it was a dream because they actually listened.

COMMENT

All government wants is for asylum seekers to be out of sight out of mind.

— Rather than doing anything practical to tackle gangs, the government blames human rights lawyers – the very people who are making sure asylum seekers are correctly and lawfully processed.

COMMENT

Government has more interest in allowing vulnerable children to be targeted by traffickers than tackling traffickers.

— How many children refugees will join those already being incorrectly classed as adults by the Home Office’s social workers? How many risk being sent to Rwanda or stuck in camps?

COMMENT

The Home Office’s bureaucracy has been destroying people’s lives for decades. Increasing it isn’t the way forward.

— Implementing a sponsored visa route, rather than waiving visas, risks putting refugees in greater danger of exploitation, without long-term security. It is a cop-out by the government to avoid providing genuine support.

COMMENT

Refugees don’t need visas.

— The UK Government must scrap visa requirements for refugees and halt carrier liability fines, to ensure those who do seek asylum in the UK can reach here safely.

COMMENT

Refugee protection means more than just saying words of support.

— When you see big numbers in relation to refugee situations, ensure you put them into context.

COMMENT

How the Home Office spends money hurting people.

— Instead of wasting more money on failed immigration policies, on hurting and othering people, the UK Government could use it to help people struggling in this country.

COMMENT

How warfare language is being used to demonise asylum seekers.

— The use of state-authorised force against asylum seekers is well documented – but they also use the language of warfare to deny them rights.

COMMENT

Home Office’s flawed and dangerous “scientific assessments” put children claiming asylum at risk.

— The Home Office has announced that it is setting up a new Scientific Advisory Committee to provide advice on ways to check how old an asylum seeker is. To say there are concerns to be had about this is underselling it spectacularly.

COMMENT

Asylum seekers crossing the Channel – Stop the BS!

— No one risks their life crossing one of the busiest shipping routes in the world for a fiver a day, a cheap mobile phone and to be stuck three-to-a-room in a dilapidated hell hole while struggling to access the legal system.