by Eizabeth Jiménez-Yáñez
These last few months have not been easy for those of us working in the migration sector, especially for those with experience of the UK’s immigration system. Announcement after announcement of increasingly hostile policies against our communities can deepen us in a sense of isolation and hopelessness. The situation for the women who access our services is even worse, as the precarity created by the system is rapidly intensifying in an environment where migration has been conflated with criminality, and where safety and justice seem out of reach for Black and minoritised migrant women.
In this context, and following the launch of a new White Immigration Paper in May, we worked alongside the Step Up Migrant Women campaign, led by the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, Southall Black Sisters, and the End Violence Against Women Coalition, to highlight how the proposals in the paper would harm victim/survivors of multiple forms of VAWG. In collaboration, we drafted and shared a statement detailing our concerns and urging the government, which (while in opposition) had shared our demands, to scrap the paper and guarantee safety for all women, regardless of immigration status. As this process unfolded, we realised we needed to do something louder and more visible to demonstrate our opposition to the extension of the hostile environment, so we decided to organise a protest outside the Home Office.
Organising the protest was not an easy task, especially in a climate of fear instigated by the far-right and sanctioned by politicians who have spread misinformation about migrant communities without accountability, fostering an environment in which migrant people feel unwelcome and at risk. Despite this, we knew it was important to gather and speak out against the proposals.
At the protest, everything made sense. The space was one of solidarity, a reminder of how strong we are when we stand together. The protest felt like a space we all needed in light of the ongoing attacks our communities and the women we support have faced in recent years. There, we chanted, hugged, and listened to fantastic speakers, including Carla Denyer MP and Apsana Begum MP, who reminded us that there are women and allies in Parliament who stand with us.
Days after the protest, I still feel the satisfaction of having been there with colleagues, other Black, minoritised, and migrant women, and allies who share the passion, courage, and commitment to continue this work, with feminism, intersectionality, and solidarity at the forefront of all we do.
Difficult times might continue, but when it feels like I’m hitting a wall, I will hold on to the memories of the protest outside the Home Office, and all those still to come.