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2nd
April 2005
Letter
to The Spectator
Sir,
The
piece by Rod Liddle contains the erroneous use of the terms “illegal”
and “bogus” for asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are individuals
exercising their legal right to claim asylum and may have fled acts
of horrendous violence including torture, persecution and even genocide;
they are legally in the UK while their claims are considered.
The
number of asylum claims in industrialised countries is plummeting,
with arrivals in the UK down 61 percent since 2002 to levels not
seen since the mid-1990s. It is simply not possible to claim that
there is an asylum crisis, nor is there ever a need for writers
like Mr. Liddle to denigrate those people who may be forced to seek
asylum.
The
UN refugee agency encourages debate on immigration issues, but we
are disappointed when informed minds such as your columnists confuse
illegal immigrants for asylum seekers. Such disinformation helps
to create a negative image amongst the people towards people seeking
protection, sowing mistrust. Illegal immigrants are those who have
(i) entered the UK illegally, without permission from an Immigration
Officer, who then continue to reside in the UK without contacting
the authorities or making an asylum claim; or (ii) entered the country
legally, with all the necessary documents, but then disregard limits
placed on the length of their stay.
We
believe clarifying these terms will clear up the sometimes cloudy
debate on immigration.
Sincerely,
Anne
Dawson-Shepherd
Representative
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