Since 2012, it has been an explicit aim of Government immigration policy to create a ‘hostile environment’ for anybody unable to demonstrate their immigration status on demand. From the 'Go Home' vans driven through ethnically diverse neighbourhoods to passport checks in hospitals and schools, the government has worked to create a climate of fear and hostility, criminalising and impoverishing those who may find themselves without status. These are the same policies that have seen long-term residents of the UK, including members of the Windrush Generation, denied healthcare and the right to work and even detained or removed illegally.
JCWI has long warned of the devastating consequences of these measures. And we're working hard, with many others across the UK, to dismantle the Hostile Environment and fight for better, fairer policies.
Will you support our vital work?
We are looking for a temporary, full-time Legal Director to oversee the management of the award-winning Legal and Casework Department here at JCWI. Read more
Our evidence to Wendy Williams' Progress Update on the Windrush Lessons Learned Review. (November 2021) Read more
Restrictions on the right to work for migrants undermine protections for all workers. Our briefing for MPs, from December 2021, lays out recommendations for how to strengthen labour rights for all workers Read more
Who are the Windrush generation? What is the Windrush scandal? Why did the Windrush scandal happen? All your questions answered. Read more
What is the hostile environment? Who is impacted by the hostile environment? How is the hostile environment connected to the Windrush scandal? All your questions answered. Read more
We're fighting to get the Government's "Right to Rent" scheme scrapped. Read more
Resist + Persist: Your toolkit of information and resources to resist the Hostile Environment and put the power back in your hands. Read more
Sign our petition to speak up for people left out of the public safety net, and bring an end to the 'No Recourse to Public Funds' rule for good. Read more
Our open letter to the Home Secretary, calling for urgent changes to ensure the safety of all migrants in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more
The government wants to deport dozens of people from their home here in the UK - but it hasn't learned anything from the Windrush scandal Read more
Nearly two years since the Windrush scandal first hit the headlines, the government has finally released the independent review into what went wrong. Read more
Over 80 organisations have written to MPs, calling on them to scrap the Hostile Environment, and the unlawful Right to Rent checks Read more
Read more
Nobody should be denied life-saving care based on their immigration status. We're working hard to prevent the government from building a border in our hospitals and surgeries. Read more
JCWI and Liberty have published a Dossier of Failure, detailing the need for an Independent Commission into the systematic failures which culminated in the Windrush scandal. Read more
The High Court has found a key part of the Hostile Environment to be unlawful. What can MPs do now? Read more