PRESS RELEASE
National Church Leaders Forum – A Black Christian Voice Statement Re: The Windrush Generation
The National Christian Leaders Forum express its deep concern over the troubling affair pertaining to the citizenship status of some of the ‘Windrush Generation’ which has been aired through the media in the past weeks.
The Windrush Generation are those who, as minors, accompanied or joined their parents in Britain from the West Indies between 1948 and 1971. Having travelled on their parents’ or older sibling’s passports, they grew up and settled into adult life, some never having applied for a British passport. This was not a problem for them until the Immigration rules changed by the government in 2010. The tightening of the immigration rules has led to mostly elderly people being denied services, losing their jobs and even facing deportation.
Although along with most Caribbean people, the majority of the Windrush Generation have regularized their right to remain in the UK and enjoy rights and responsibilities of UK citizens, we see the current challenges as part of the unintended consequences of the government’s policy and rhetoric of creating a hostile environment for illegal immigrants.
We welcome the apology from the UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd for the “appalling” treatment received by some of the Windrush Generation and Prime Minister’s assurance that the UK government is not in “any sense clamping down on Commonwealth citizens, particularly those from the Caribbean who have built a life here.” However, NCLF believe more needs to be done.
We call for a commission to :
- Overhaul immigration processes that have brought us to this point.
- A publicity campaign to inform the public of immigration rules.
- An unequivocal re-examination of all cases of those who have been detained and or deported in the past four years since the new immigration regulations came into law and
- Compensation for those who have suffered unjustly during those times.
- Publication of an analysis of the citizenship status of the Windrush Generation.
—- ENDS —-
EDITORS NOTES
- The National Church Leaders Forum consists of key leaders in the African and Caribbean churches in the UK. The NCLF Steering Committee is co-Chaired by Pastor Ade Omooba and Dr R David Muir.
2. The Co-Chairs are available for media interviews, as guest speakers or panellists. For arrangements please contact NCLF Administrator – Juliet Fletcher on +44(0)20 7117 2637. Email info.nclf@gmail.com. Social Media: Twitter: @NCLFNEWS
3.The NCLF published a Manifesto which can be downloaded from www.nclf.org.uk or the printed version ordered by sending a large A4 SAE envelope to: NCLF Administrator c/o 101 Peckham High Street, London SE15 5RS.