Thread by @ColinYeo1

THREAD. What is Theresa May’s legacy on immigration? Given she quoted Nicolas Winton, who saved hundreds of child refugees before WW2 I’ll start with refugees.

Back in 2015, May said in a big speech “I want us to work to reduce the asylum claims made in Britain.” She did everything she could to deliver on that but claims actually went up freemovement.org.uk/analysis-what-…

She claimed in that speech it was immoral not to resettle more refugees. But failed to expand the number of resettlement places as Home Sec or as PM.

She ended automatic settlement for refugees after five years, deliberately leaving refugees uncertain whether they would eventually be kicked out. freemovement.org.uk/home-office-en…

She introduced a new policy in 2014 that prevents some recognised refugees from getting British citizenship because of the way they entered the UK in the first place freemovement.org.uk/refugees-illeg…

Perhaps her main legacy is the quiet revolution in immigration policy that is the hostile environment: citizen on citizen immigration checks. freemovement.org.uk/briefing-what-…

One of the most obvious direct effects of the hostile environment was the Windrush scandal, where legally resident BME people lost their jobs, health care and dignity.

That rests squarely on Theresa May’s shoulders.

freemovement.org.uk/a-draft-submis…

Then there was the huge increase in citizenship stripping under Theresa May, much of which was later found to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.

freemovement.org.uk/rise-modern-ba…

How about the thousands of “Skype families” created by her harsh new family immigration rules introduced in 2012? Children are forced abroad or separated from one of their parents by the £18,600 earnings rule.

freemovement.org.uk/i-couldnt-pick…

Let’s not forgot how discriminatory that rule is, because women, ethnic minorities and those outside London are less likely to earn enough to live with their loved ones.

That’s squarely on Theresa May’s shoulders as well.

While we’re on discrimination, the High Court recently found one of the key planks of Theresa May’s hostile environment, the “right to rent” policy, caused landlords to discriminate against ethnic minority tenants when they otherwise would not.

freemovement.org.uk/high-court-fin…

The 2012 family immigration rules also included the cruel effective closure of the immigration route for parents, forcing British citizens to move abroad to look after their elderly parents freemovement.org.uk/out-with-the-o…

There’s also what I can only describe as plain spitefulness to migrants. She seemed to be obsessed. Take the “go home” vans, for example.

Or the “deport first, appeal later” law. You can only appeal after you’ve been removed, making it far harder to fight your case. The Supreme Court found it to be implemented unlawfully.

freemovement.org.uk/supreme-court-…

Or the English language testing scandal. Today, the National Audit Office found the Home Office presumed guilt and lacked expertise to verify cases. The Court of Appeal recently said the same.

freemovement.org.uk/english-langua…

She took away rights of appeal for family visitors coming to the UK, preventing many from attending weddings, funerals, graduations and celebrations.

Spiteful.

freemovement.org.uk/visit-visa-ref…

She did whatever she could to prevent child refugees in Calais or in the UK being reunited with their family members.

Cruel.

freemovement.org.uk/home-office-mi…

Also on children, she ramped up the cost of citizenship applications for children, almost certainly denying many children the British citizenship to which they should have been entitled. freemovement.org.uk/home-office-ma…

The cost of immigration and citizenship applications in general skyrocketed, forcing migrants to leave the UK, borrow, scrimp and save or go illegal

freemovement.org.uk/how-expensive-…

The complexity of immigration law became infamous under Theresa May. Judge after judge has criticised the state of the law. Ordinary people simply cannot understand how the law affects them now. freemovement.org.uk/how-complex-ar…

The rules are such a mess now, due to changes in 2012, that an experienced immigration lawyer can barely get through an application for their own spouse.

freemovement.org.uk/spouse-visa-ap…

She introduced a cap on skilled migrants. That’s right, she stopped skilled migrants like doctors and IT specialists from coming to the UK even when they could not be recruited locally.

Nuts.

freemovement.org.uk/unprecedented-…

One of her most lasting and damning legacies may be from forcing EU citizens to apply to the Home Office for permission to remain in the UK after Brexit, which will leave probably hundreds of thousands illegal after the deadline. freemovement.org.uk/many-eu-citize…

There was a huge increase in the number of EU citizens detained in the UK, due to Theresa May’s illegal policy of rounding up suspected homeless EU citizens freemovement.org.uk/ngo-victory-ho…

EU citizens were also forced to complete additional paperwork to qualify for British citizenship from 2015 onwards. The added complexity caused many to be refused and loose the huge application fee. freemovement.org.uk/briefing-what-…

Yet, despite all that, Theresa May never came close to meeting the net migration target she clung to.

The policies were never based on evidence.

They were never going to “work” on her terms.

The public was never going to be reassured.

They were little more than spite.

Finally, I leave you with The Cat. Theresa May falsely claimed a migrant was not deported because of a pet cat. It was nonsense but was used to justify harsh new deportation laws leading to the removal of even those who came to the UK as kids.

theguardian.com/law/2011/oct/0…

OK, I’ve finished, I think. I thought that might make me feel better. It didn’t.

https://twitter.com/ColinYeo1/status/1131856037756264448

A good thread here also on May’s legacy.

https://twitter.com/john_vassiliou1/status/1131876241991249922

We’ve turned the (monster) thread into a blog post: freemovement.org.uk/theresa-mays-i…