Advocacy

Speaking truth to power

At Boaz, our primary focus has always been to provide safe and secure accommodation for people facing homelessness because of their immigration status. However, given the systemic failures that lead to individuals becoming destitute, advocacy is core to our work. Since our earliest days as an organisation, campaigning has been an important focus. We simply cannot ignore the growing hostility towards people seeking sanctuary, increasingly emboldened by political and media discourse. 

We believe that every individual deserves to have their asylum claim considered within a system that is fair and humane. Without sustained advocacy efforts and lobbying to effect political will, the UK will remain a place of hostility for people seeking safety and protection here. 

For some years now we have witnessed a worsening political climate that has decimated asylum rights in this country and sought to denigrate those in need of protection. In recent years this has culminated in the Nationality and Borders Act (2022) and the Illegal Migration Act (2023). While we have seen some positive steps taken by the Labour Government elected into power in July 2024, namely the scrapping of plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda, it remains to be seen whether this new government will positively reform the asylum system. Recent announcements by the Government, such as the intention to reopen Campsfield House - an immigration detention centre in Oxfordshire -   suggest there remains a lot to be deeply concerned about. 

The rioting by Far Right groups and individuals in the summer of 2024 was undoubtedly bolstered by a toxic political and media discourse. These riots were fuelled not only by the explicit racism of high profile individuals, but also by previous governments who regularly used inflammatory language to describe people seeking asylum, and a rhetoric that stirred up hatred and hostility. 

We urge the new Labour Government to show true leadership by demonstrating robust support and compassion for people seeking asylum, and to positively reform the asylum system. 

In spite of all the challenges we have faced as a sector in recent years, we have also found reasons to hope and this in turn has emboldened us to act. We were able to share updates and briefings as different Bills progressed through parliament, drafting and sharing letters for our supporters to send to their MPs and councillors. We attended rallies and marches, standing up for the right to claim asylum. 

We also continued to work in close partnership with other local and national organisations, co-signing letters which were published in the national press, co-producing public statements and sharing resources. Most recently we co-produced a report with GMIAU, examining the effects of immigration control on individuals in Greater Manchester (which you can read below). We will continue in our efforts to advocate for a fair and compassionate asylum system: one that respects the dignity of each and every person.

Click below to find out more about how you can speak out with and for people seeking safety.