The Rwanda Act

The Trustees and staff of the Comfrey Project are greatly saddened that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill) has now passed into law and the government has already started to detain asylum seekers with the intention of moving them to Rwanda. We stand in solidarity with our Comfrey friends and families and indeed all those affected by this cruel action. We believe all those claiming asylum in the UK have the right to have their cases processed in a timely and fair system within the UK and that more safe and legal routes should be available to them.

Understandably, the Act has caused a spike in concern and anxiety for people seeking asylum in our local community, and created new challenges for accessing the help and support they need at this difficult time.

The charity Right To Remain has produced some excellent guidance for Voluntary Sector organisations to inform and advise people about what the Rwanda Act means, and of their rights, which can be found here. This includes responding to the threat of detention and “voluntary departure”.

The Comfrey Project Team will be doing as much as we can to support people, to signpost them to useful services, and coordinate with our partners to present a united front in opposition to this cruel act.

The “Urgent Rwanda Notice” poster used as the thumbnail for this post can be downloaded in PDF format here.