Rhetoric and refugees

Before summer recess, Parliament passed the controversial Illegal Migration Bill, an attempt to stop thousands of small boat crossings from France to the UK.

Criminal gangs are profiteering from desperate people who risk their lives in flimsy dinghies. Everyone agrees they should be stopped.

Through this legislation, the Government aims to create such a deterrent, by detaining everyone arriving this way on arrival. Those who claim asylum will not have their case considered in the UK but will be removed to a third country, such as Rwanda.

Except for children who arrive unaccompanied, and will be removed when they turn 18, this policy applies to everyone – women, children, victims of slavery, victims of persecution, and those with a strong claim for protection. They will never be able to obtain leave to remain in the UK.

The Government acknowledges this may break international human rights laws, but believes the circumstances justify any breach.

The Bill has divided Christians in Westminster, who hold sincerely differing views.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been a vocal opponent, reminding the House of Lords that, in Matthew 25, Jesus calls us to ‘welcome the stranger,’ a call that ‘has been part of the history and culture of this country for centuries’.

Indeed, ministers often point to the UK’s proud history of supporting refugees. But my concern is that words are not matched by actions. James’ letter offers a blunt challenge to Christians whose faith had no practical implications for their lives: ‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?’ (James 2: 15-17).

So when politicians talk about this ‘proud history’, but simultaneously dehumanise those fleeing war and persecution, warning that they are ‘swamping’ and ‘invading’ us, we can also ask: ‘What good is it?’

For me it always comes back to the imperative to treat others as we would wish to be treated. The Bible is full of instructions to help the ‘alien’ in our midst, and to love our neighbour.

'Current rhetoric makes it difficult to see refugees as people like us'

Current rhetoric makes it difficult to see refugees as people like us, whose circumstances of birth have forced them to flee homes, possessions and safety. It’s a small step to dismissing their plight altogether.

We shouldn’t open our borders and let everyone in. And we don’t. We receive far fewer asylum applications than many of our neighbours, and 21 other European countries take more asylum seekers per head of population than us.

People certainly shouldn’t be risking their lives in the Channel. But we should offer safe routes from specific countries in turmoil, to provide options for legal asylum applications, with a process to decide which claims are valid. Those who aren’t genuine should be quickly processed and humanely returned to a safe country.

We must clear the dreadful backlog of claims that leaves many asylum seekers trapped in limbo in hotels, at the taxpayer’s expense.

And as people are increasingly displaced across the globe, we surely need to work with our European neighbours so we all take our fair share, and ensure that those ‘first safe countries’ are not genuinely swamped.

Many people worry that immigrants are ‘hiding’ behind human rights laws, but Christians should be most committed to human rights, and the most appalled if governments remove them. After all, God made all humans in His image, bearing awesome dignity.

Love in the Bible is immensely costly and hugely practical, and Christians in politics should seek to be competent and compassionate as we reflect that love into our broken world.

Tim Farron has been the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005. He is the author of A Mucky Business: Why Christians Should Get Involved in Politics.

● Christian MPs contribute as believers not party politicians. en does not endorse any one particular party.