NEARLY 100 Scots church leaders have joined charities from across the country to oppose a bill that it is feared could see the criminalisation of Ukranian refugees who arrive in the UK.

Lord Wallace, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is among those who say they are “horrified and appalled” about the potential repercussions of the Nationality and Borders Bill.

Dubbed the 'anti-refugee bill' by campaigners, if passed it would give the UK government powers to jail asylum seekers for up to four years if they arrive via treacherous small boat journeys or 'unofficial routes'. It would also allow ministers to strip people of their British citizenship without warning.

It is feared the legislation could mean that Ukrainians trying to seek asylum in the UK could be treated as second tier refugees, or even as criminals, because they would be arriving via irregular routes. There is currently no specific UK resettlement scheme in place for them.

As part of the bill plans, the Government is considering offshore processing and is proposing to build large scale accommodation centres here in the UK which will hold up to 8,000 people at one time.

Refugee holding facilities in the UK have been widely criticised for alleged human rights abuses.

The Refugee Council, which wants the government to relax visa requirements to help Ukrainians join family members already in the UK has warned that the war in Ukraine “might generate five million refugees in Europe”.

They warn that those who take "dangerous journeys over land to the UK will be treated as criminals".

Some 81 Scots church leaders, representing the six major faith groups in the UK, say the Bill would lead to “closing the door” on desperate people genuinely in fear for their lives.

The Scots group have joined 1000 across the UK to write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and urge him to show compassion and make substantial changes to the draft legislation “even at this late stage”.

The Herald:

The multi-faith signators, which include Lord Jim Wallace, Moderator of the Church of Scotland; Most Revd Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church; Rt Revd William Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow and Imam Sayed Razawi, Chief Imam and director of the Shia Community's Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society are urging the UK government to “substantially” change the terms of the controversial bill.

Lord Wallace said: “This week we are seeing people under attack in Ukraine who are being forced to flee their homes.

“It is a good time for the UK Government to reconsider its approach and to ensure that our laws are designed to support people seeking sanctuary from conflict, no matter how they arrive in our country.”

The letter is published today (Monday) as the Bill enters its final stages in the House of Lords - a crucial last opportunity to make changes.

It states: “While there is still conflict and injustice in the world, there will always be desperate people needing to seek sanctuary from war, persecution and suffering.

“We cannot close our door on them but this Bill does just that.

“We assert that the values that bind UK citizens together, especially those concerning human dignity and life, will be fundamentally damaged by this Bill.”

The faith leaders call on the Prime Minister to make substantial changes to the draft legislation and have requested a meeting with him to discuss their grave concerns.

Changes include abandoning the government’s plans to criminalise and restrict the rights of all people arriving in the UK seeking refugee protection outside pre-arranged schemes, including those coming via irregular routes, such as by boats or lorries.

The Herald:

The letter says this policy was made “without a basis in evidence or morality”.

It asks the UK Government to urgently address the failure to establish safe routes for refugees seeking sanctuary, arguing that failing to do so fundamentally undermines the Bill’s aims.

The letter urges the Prime Minister to be "compassionate and ambitious" in opening schemes such as family reunion, resettlement and routes for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Rev Jane Howitt, Transition minister at St Rollox Church in Glasgow, which runs a range of support programmes for refugees and asylum seekers, said that while refugees who have already arrived in Scotland may not be affected by the proposals in the bill, new migrants, even those with family members here, could face deportation.

“There are so many desperate situations that are driving people out of their homelands, but there is a lack of safe and legal ways for refugees to get to the United Kingdom,” she says. “So we are seeing new folk arriving all the time and many are not able to arrive through legal routes.

“It is very difficult​ and often traumatic for people to get here and when they do arrive they face huge challenges. If asylum seekers were allowed to work we might better understand their value as friends and as citizens. I see many people who first came as refugees and are now making incredible contributions to our community.”

More than 60 groups across Scotland have joined together to condemn the Westminister legislation including representatives from the Scottish Refugee Council, Rape Crisis Scotland, Engender, Scottish Women’s Aid calling on MSPs to undertake a number of promises relating to human rights in Scotland.

At the weekend a further 50 charities, non-governmental organisations and aid agencies from across the UK, led by the Refugee Council, lodged a protest.

They say the Russian invasion of Ukraine “illuminates the crucial flaw in the Nationality and Borders Bill".

The Herald:

A controversial clause in the bill allows for “differential treatment” of refugees depending on how they reached the UK.

This means those deemed to have entered unlawfully would have fewer rights, despite the majority of refugees having no option but to use irregular routes to travel to the UK.

Peers are preparing to oppose this clause — clause 11 — in a vote in the House of Lords today.

The bill would also make it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK “without a valid entry clearance”, the maximum sentence for which would be four years’ imprisonment. Those helping asylum seekers into the country would also be breaking the law, whereas existing legislation says this is only prohibited if it is done “for gain”.

Rev Raheel Arif, minister for Denny Old linked with Haggs Church of Scotland, has first-hand experience of the immigration system having first come to the UK as an asylum seeker.

He and his wife and two children fled religious persecution in Pakistan and they are now British citizens.

Mr Arif said: “Around the world, millions of people live in poverty and in vulnerable situations due to war, persecution, violence and abuse.

“Sometimes people are forced to flee their homes to preserve their lives as we are seeing now in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“As Christians, we are called to come alongside and help those in need.

“We are called to act with compassion and to urge our government to stand up for refugees and asylum seekers, as it says in the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention.

“However, the new Nationality and Borders, Bill which our government is proposing will affect the vulnerable people on our borders and may prevent them reaching a place of safety.

“The introduction of this Bill may allow the smugglers and the trafficking gangs to thrive and will increase the reliance of people upon them putting more peoples’ lives in danger.

“It will further increase the barriers to refugees and asylum seekers. "

Others that have signed the Scots churches letter include Rev Dr David Miller, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Free Church of Scotland; Elizabeth Allen of Quakers in Scotland; Rev Ruth Harvey leader of the Iona Community and Sister Isabel Smyth, the Scottish Catholic Bishops’ secretary for interreligious dialogue.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government has a proud history of supporting people in need, including those in Ukraine, and that is not about to change.

“The Nationality and Borders Bill, which has already been backed by MPs, will deliver the most comprehensive reform in decades to protect the vulnerable and ensure fairness in our asylum system.

“For the for first time, we will be able to differentiate between those who arrive here through safe and legal routes and those who arrive here having had the opportunity to claim asylum already in a safe country.

“This Bill reduces the incentives for people to make dangerous and lethal crossings and introduces a maximum sentence of life behind bars for evil people smugglers. Our policy is aimed at preserving life.”